DAMASCUS, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al- Moallem said on Wednesday that fighting terror is a priority now, stressing that the international community must respect the Syrian administration, the state news agency SANA reported.
Al-Moallem made the remarks during his meeting with visiting UN envoy to Syria, Staffan De Mistura, in which the foreign minister highlighted the need to prioritize battling terror and dry its resources in accordance with the recent UN resolution in that regard. The minister said fighting terror would create the suitable climate for the reconstruction process in Syria.
In reference to the world powers' stance against the Syrian administration, al-Moallem said the Syrian people have chosen their leader and administration, and that "everyone should respect that."
For his part, De Mistura said he's willing to take all effort to end the suffering in Syria through fighting terrorism and encourage reconciliation that would pave the way for a political solution, the sole way to end the Syrian crisis.
De Mistura arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday for his first visit to the war-torn country. The former Italian deputy foreign minister was appointed on July 10 by UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon to fill a vacancy left by Lakhdar Brahimi, who resigned in May out of frustration for failing to push forward a political solution to Syria's long-running conflict.
The new envoy will meet with President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday and later with representatives of the domestically-based Syrian opposition.
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Aug. 15 to authorize international actions that suppress support for Islamist militants, especially those with the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State, which have recently established a so-called " Islamic Caliphate" in areas under their control in Syria and Iraq.
Top Syrian officials stressed recently that the Syrian government is ready to cooperate with international powers in fighting terrorism, as long as the sovereignty of Syria is respected and their actions coordinated with the Syrian government.
Still the United States seems stuck in its stance against the Assad administration, as the White House said on Wednesday that it 's pushing the Congress for the authority to arm and train " moderate" Syrian rebels that are battling both terrorists with the Islamic State and Assad's government.
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