Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that Hamas was ready to agree to peace if the Israeli army would stop its military operations and withdraw from Gaza.

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Assad said that Syria could play a role with Hamas, if France was able to convince Israel of a deal to stop its offensive and reopen the border crossings. Assad said that the current battles in Gaza increased extremism in the region. He also said he hoped no new war would be launched in the region and that the new US administration would interfere to seriously push forward the peace process.

Assad said that Syria’s support to Hamas was political. "The support is political, the support of their cause. We support the Palestinian state, an independent Palestinian state, and we support their position to defend themselves,” he said.

 Assad criticized the United States and some Western states for labeling Hamas a “terrorist organization.” He asked how come such a label was issued against an organization that was democratically elected.

When asked about his stance from US President-elect Barack Obama, Assad said that he would not send messages to the new president before he meets him personally. Assad said he hoped the new US administration would be open to other points of view, which would strengthen its ties with the world and would help it see the truth as it is.

Assad said that he agreed with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozi during their meeting on Tuesday in Damascus on a number of points concerning the situation in Gaza including ending the Israeli attack, withdrawing IDF from the Gaza Strip and ending the blockade. Assad said that Sarkozy would carry these points to the Israelis, while the former would work to convince Hamas. “If the Israelis agree on these points, we can do something with Hamas,” he said.

-NOW Staff