Damascus, SANA – President Bashar al-Assad received a delegation of Arab figures who have taken part in the Arab National Congress and the International Arab Forum on Justice for Palestine.

Discussions touched upon the situation in Syria under the terrorist war it is subjected to and the problems currently facing the Arab World, including those of weakness, fragmentation and spread of terrorism and extremism and the effect of the deterioration of the Arab situation on the Palestinian cause.

President al-Assad stressed that Syria would not have been able to stand its ground in the face of this war, was it not for the sacrifices of its army and its people’s faith in their homeland and unity.

He noted that the Syrian people, with all their components, have provided great examples in making sacrifices.

In his comments on the Arab situation, the President said the challenges facing the Arab World now necessitate work to develop awareness of the state of Arabism as an identity and an all-inclusive cultural frame and not just as an ideology, affirming the need to commit to the pan-Arab dimension and thinking and boost the pan-Arab sentiment in facing the projects of fragmentation plotted against the region.

The delegation members, for their part, stressed the need to stand by Syria in the face of what it is being subjected to as they believe that supporting Syria means supporting the Palestinian Cause and the entire Arab nation since Syria is the gate to the Arab national security.

They expressed their confidence that Syria will achieve victory over terrorism and foil all the plots hatched against it and their conviction that this victory will pave the way for positive strategic changes in the Arab region.

H. Said