From correspondents in Amman, Jordan, 10:30 AM IST

Syrian Prime Minister Muhammed Naji al-Otari has warned that peace would not materialise in the Middle East unless Israel withdraws from the Golan Heights and other Arab territories it occupied in the 1967 six-day war.

'The region and its peoples will not enjoy peace unless it provides for the return of the entirety of Golan Heights until the June 4, 1967 borders,' al-Otari said during the opening meeting of Joint Higher Jordanian-Syrian Commission Saturday.

He added that any peace agreement between Israel and Arab countries should also provide for the liberation of the part of Lebanese territory still occupied by Israel as well as 'the regaining of the Palestinian people's rights including the setting up of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital'.

'For a long time, Syria has committed itself to the establishment of peace provided it is comprehensive and involves all tracks in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions, the Madrid conference reference, the principle of land for peace and the Arab peace initiative,' he said.

The Syrian prime minister reiterated his country's support for national reconciliation among the Lebanese 'as the only way for safeguarding Lebanon's territorial integrity and its Arab role and affiliation'.

He alluded to the current stalemate between Lebanon's majority and opposition over the election of a new president.

He said Damascus supported 'dialogue and understanding' among Palestinian factions, a reference to the present standoff between the Fatah and Hamas groups.

In their addresses, al-Otari and his Jordanian counterpart Nader Dahabi expressed their countries' keenness to boost bilateral cooperation particularly in the spheres of trade, economy and water.

Dahabi reported a 43 percent growth in bilateral trade between Jordan and Syria over the past 10 months, to $488 million, from a year ago.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)