DAMASCUS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said during an interview aired on Thursday that regaining occupied Syrian territories is the major precondition for peace negotiations with Israel.
Assad made the remarks during an interview with Russia's Rossiya Segodnya news agency, which was also released by Syria's official SANA news agency.
"Our stance has been very clear since the beginning of peace talks in the 1990s ... when we said peace for Syria is related to rights and our right is our land," Assad said.
Syria can establish normal relations with Israel "only when we regain our land," he stressed.
However, "we have seen no Israeli official who is ready to move one step forward toward peace," the Syrian president said.
No negotiations are taking place between Syria and Israel in the present time, Assad added.
Syria and Israel have been arch-enemies, particularly since Israel occupied the Syrian Golan Heights in 1967. Enditem
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