Syrian, Israeli officials hold talks on bolstering stability

Damascus, Aug 20 (IANS) Syria's foreign affairs chief, Assad Hassan al-Shibani, met with an Israeli delegation in Paris to discuss efforts to reduce tensions and bolster stability in southern Syria, according to Syria's state news agency SANA.

Al-Shibani and the Israeli delegation focused on de-escalation, non-interference in Syria's internal affairs, and the revival of the 1974 disengagement agreement that has governed the frontier for decades, said SANA, adding that their talks also covered ways to monitor the ceasefire in Sweida province, a flashpoint in the country's south.

The meeting, held under US mediation, is part of a wider diplomatic push to safeguard Syria's territorial integrity and promote regional security, Xinhua news agency reported quoting SANA.

Earlier this month, al-Shibani met in Amman with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and US Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack. The three agreed to form a Syrian-Jordanian-US working group aimed at supporting Damascus' efforts to maintain the Sweida ceasefire and work toward a comprehensive solution to the country's crisis, according to the report.

In December, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, Israel deployed ground forces into the buffer zone of the two countries, a demilitarised area between the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and Syria.

The buffer zone is monitored by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, which was established under the 1974 disengagement agreement. Israel later captured the Syrian-controlled side of Mount Hermon.

--IANS

int/rs