The situation in the Middle East is getting worse and an increase of tensions would be extremely dangerous, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday during his visit to Syria.
"Any future flare-up of the Mideast situation is fraught with the danger of catastrophe," Medvedev said during a joint news conference with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"I have personally emphasized that Russia will do everything possible to restore Mideast peace talks under the existing international legal base," he added. "The situation is deteriorating, becoming more complicated, and it negatively affects the general climate in the Middle East."
The president said Russia was ready to make every effort and hold a Middle East peace conference in Moscow that would achieve "at least some intermediate results."
"The most important thing is to move forward, not to be satisfied with what you have achieved, because the situation is very, very bad," Medvedev said.
The Syrian president said his country was ready to make concessions in the Middle East peace process but opposed any agreement that would harm the interests of any party.
"Naturally, compromises are possible, except in cases when the compromises infringe on the sovereign rights of this or that party," al-Assad said.
Syria's main demand within the peace process is the return of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967.
Al-Assad said his country was ready to negotiate on all issues as soon as the occupied territories are returned to Syria.
"Syria cannot agree to a deal under which it gets back only a part of the occupied Syrian land," the president said.
He also said that Russia should "convince the U.S. administration to show a truly responsible and serious approach to the Middle East peace process."
"First and foremost, we pin our hopes on Russia in this respect," al-Assad said.
The Syrian leader proposed establishing an international monitoring body to oversee if the future Arab-Israeli talks are conducted in accordance with the existing international laws.
DAMASCUS, May 11 (RIA Novosti)
