Syrian president consults with country's leadership on Mideast peace talks and Lebanon

: President Bashar Assad convened a meeting of Syria's leading Monday to discourse regional developments — Associate in Nursing evident mention to a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference and the presidential election crisis in neighbour Lebanon.

Syria have repeatedly said it would only go to the conference expected later this calendar month if treatments include the tax return of the Golan Heights, a strategical tableland State Of Israel captured from Syrian Arab Republic in the 1967 Center East war.

Although U.S. functionaries have got said the focusing of the conference will be the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Israeli Prime Curate Ehud Olmert said in recent years that he hoped Syrian Arab Republic would take part.

"The part is witnessing in the approaching time period political events," Syria's functionary news federal agency quoted Assad as saying. These issues "could have got sedate impact on the hereafter of the states and peoples if they are not dealt with in a logical manner that fulfills the involvements of the assorted political parties without taking sides," Assad said.

He did not elaborate, but his words were taken to intend the peace conference in the United States and the political crisis in Lebanese Republic — the two major regional events. Today in Africa & Center East

Lebanon's Parliament should pick a president by Friday, but political differences between U.S.-backed government and pro-Syrian opposition have held up understanding on a "consensus" president. Failure to elect a leader could further decline the political crisis.

Assad's convening of the meeting came ahead of a assemblage of Arabian foreign curates in Arab Republic Of Egypt later in the week. The functionaries are expected to come up up with a incorporate base on the peace conference scheduled for later this calendar month in Annapolis, Maryland.