During a joint press conference with EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem said that Hezbollah’s Monday statement that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is ready to meet with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt is accurate.

Mouallem also said that having Arab solidarity necessitates working toward reconciliations among disputing parties. However, he added Arab leaders must initiate such reconciliations.

“Syria believes Arab solidarity is very important, and we will work toward achieving it,” said Mouallem.

Mouallem also touched on the EU-Syrian partnership agreement, which, he said, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wants it to be on the political and economic levels.

Ashton, in turn, said that the “EU is committed to achieve security and stability in the region just as it is committed to achieve them in Europe." She added that negotiations are the only means to reach a solution to the Middle East conflict.

-NOW Lebanon