President Al-Assad Discusses Developments with Italian Communist Party
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 - 05:50 PM
Damascus, (SANA) – President Bashar al-Assad met on Tuesday Secretary General of the Italian Communist Party Oliviero Diliberto. President al-Assad and Dilberto discussed means of enhancing relations between the Italian Communist Party and al-Baath Arab Socialist Party, as well as between the two countries. They also discussed current regional developments.The meeting was attended by Secretary General of al-Baath Arab Socialist Party Abdullah al-Ahmar and the accompanying Italian delegation.
SYRIA: ITALIAN COMMUNIST LEADER'S VISIT GETS MEDIA PLAY
Damascus, 13 June (AKI) - A two-day visit by Italian communist leader Oliviero Diliberto to Syria was given wide coverage by the country's official media on Wednesday. Diliberto stressed the need "for Syria to regain control of the Golan Heights [occupied by Israel since 1967]," the al-Thawra daily said on its website. Diliberto, whose Italian Communists party forms part of Italian prime minister Romano Prodi's centre-left government, made the remarks in his meeting with the deputy secretary of Syria's ruling Baath party on Wednesday, the report said. "The Palestinian people need to win back their legitimate rights: freedom of their land, the creation of an independent state, and the return of the Palestinian refugees," Diliberto was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Diliberto also expressed "the interest of his party, together with other parties in Italy's governing coalition, to strengthen relations with the Baath Arab Socialist party, as well as the relations between Italy and Syria in all sectors," al-Thawra said.
Another daily Teshreen placed news of Diliberto's visit on its front page together with that of Greek foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis who was also in Damascus on Tuesday. Teshreen, like al-Thawra, said Diliberto emphasised the closer ties between his party and Baath. On its official news website the Baath party confirmed a "willingness by both sides to develop relations between their parties." Diliberto has expressed "admiration for Syria's postion, for the wise leadership of [Syrian] President [Basher] Assad and the efforts by the Baath Arab Socialist Party to build a modern Syria," the Baath site said, adding that he also underlined "the importance of the central role of Syria in regional development and the realisation of a just and total peace."
(Paz/Aki)