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London: British Foreign Secretary David Miliband will highlight Damascus’ significant role in the Mideast peace process during his talks with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad on Tuesday, he said on Tuesday.
Miliband, who will meet Assad on Tuesday morning, told BBC radio Syria had a choice to make.
"It is very important to understand that Syria has a big potential role to play in stability in the Middle East," he told BBC radio. "It can be a force for stability or it can be a force for instability.
Diplomatic relations between Britain and Syria have increased in recent months, as relations between the Arab nation and the United States have faltered over US accusations that Syria ignores Islamist infiltration into Iraq.
"Over the last 18 months, I have been talking with the Syrian Foreign Minister about... Syria's responsibilities in the region in respect of counter-terrorism, in respect of Iraq, in respect of the Middle East peace process," Miliband said.
President George W. Bush imposed sanctions on Syria in 2004 for its support of Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement. The European Union has also been urging Damascus to end its support for Hezbollah.
"Syria certainly has, and has had, some big questions to answer about the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq, about the situation in the Lebanon, about its contribution to the stability of the region," said Miliband, whose Middle East trip has included talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
"We have been taking up those issues, and...there have been some important signs of Syria understanding a degree of concern and seeking to change some of its actions."
Miliband will also discuss human rights with Damascus. "This is a dialogue that covers a range of issues that are of a British national interest, of a regional interest and of global interest," he said.
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