DAMASCUS: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani said on Tuesday that his country was working towards a "diplomatic solution" with Israel, with US mediation, despite ongoing Israeli attacks. Israel has carried out repeated incursions deeper into Syrian territory and has vowed to keep troops in a so-called "security zone" in southern Syria, where it seeks a broader demilitarised area.
"The attacks are still ongoing. We observed 65 incursions in July alone, and 52 in the first 18 days of August," Shaibani told a press conference with his visiting Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen. He slammed a "campaign of raids on homes in Quneitra province and the Damascus countryside", and said Syria had registered 147 cases of Israeli troops detaining Syrians so far this year, with "49 of them still detained". "Despite these challenges, we are still committed to the option of a diplomatic solution and we are working seriously to achieve this," Shaibani said, adding: "We are engaged in negotiations mediated by the United States of America."
Israel and Syria have held several rounds of direct talks, most recently last month in Jordan after fresh Israeli strikes, including one on a disused airbase in the country's northwest. — AFP
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