Assad: Any attack on Iran would be a global 'disaster'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that any attack on Iran would be a disaster and he pledged to help find a peaceful solution to the nuclear dispute between the West and Tehran.

"Nobody in the world will be able to bear the consequences of any action that is not peaceful because it would not result in a solution but in a disaster," Assad said after meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the Syrian capital.

"Obviously there is a lack of confidence between Iran and the countries involved in this issue. We will continue our efforts for dialogue," he said.

Sarkozy had asked Assad to use Syria's ties with its ally Iran to urge the Islamic Republic to cooperate with Western powers over its nuclear program, which they say could be used to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran says the program is for peaceful purposes. But the United States and Israel have not ruled out military action if the dispute cannot be resolved through diplomacy.

The French president is the first Western head of government to visit Syria since the 2005 assassination of Lebanese statesman Rafik al-Hariri, which French officials believe was orchestrated from Syria. He is also looking for Syrian cooperation in resolving the situation in Lebanon.

France has taken a lead in re-engagement with Syria after Assad embarked on indirect peace talks with Israel and adopted what was seen as a more conciliatory stance towards Lebanon.

Paris had accused Syria of contributing to the crisis in Lebanon that turned violent in May before a Qatari-brokered deal resulted in the formation of a national unity government in which the Hezbollah led-opposition has veto power.

Al-Hayat: Israel-Syria peace talks to resume on SundayPeace talks between Israel and Syria will resume this coming Sunday, according to a report in Wednesday editions of the Lebanese newspaper Al-Hayat. Citing French diplomatic sources, the report stated that the next round will be especially significant as it will deal with establishing a permanent border between the two countries. The issue of border is considered a potential deal breaker from the Syrian standpoint.

French officials say the two sides are at loggerheads over the route of the border. While Israel's position states that the border between the two states should run along the 1923 international border, Damascus would like Israel to withdraw to the lines which separated the two sides prior to June 4, 1967.

While there are detailed maps which delineate the international border which was drawn by the British and French mandatory authorities which ruled Palestine and Syria, respectively, there are no maps indicating the precise border route between the two states in the days prior to the Six-Day War. As such, there is room for a flexible interpretation of the border despite earlier Syrian statements indicating that there would be no compromise on this issue.

	Syrian President Bashar Assad with French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a meeting in Paris in July. (Reuters)