Assad: "US support is critical for the negotiations with Israel"

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad yesterday said that the US backing was of great importance to continue the peace talks with Israel under Turkey's mediation. He said that the progress in the negotiations would depend on Israel's goodwill. Stressing the importance of international support for the talks, he also characterized the negotiations under the auspices of Turkey as preliminary phase. In related news, an article from Britain's Financial Times said that Turkey was playing very important role in the Middle East as a regional actor in recent times.