DAMASCUS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said on Wednesday that the U.S. occupation in Iraq has further complicated problems in the troubled Middle East.

    Bilal made the remarks while meeting with a visiting Australian parliamentary delegation, according to the official SANA news agency.

    "The Israeli occupation of Syria's Golan Heights and other Arab lands in Palestine and Lebanon constitutes the basis of the problem which has been further complicated following the U.S. occupation of Iraq," the minister was quoted as saying.

    Bilal also reasserted Syria's full support to the political process in Iraq and its care for Iraq's unity and independence while underlining Syria's aspiration for achieving a just and comprehensive peace.

    For her part, head of the delegation Meredith Burgmann stressed the necessity to have dialogue with Syria in order to solve the region's problems, SANA said.