Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al- Shara underlined Sunday the necessity to enhance the Palestinian national unity, especially after the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip, the official SANA news agency reported.

"It is necessary to enhance the Palestinian national unity nowadays more than any time else, because it will enable the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate right to return home and establish a sovereign Palestinian state," Shara said while meeting with visiting Farouk al-Kaddoumi, head of the Political Department of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

Shara and Kaddoumi discussed the recent developments in the region, particularly the situation in the Palestinian territories following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, SANA said.

Kaddoumi told reporters after the meeting that the Israeli withdrawal was a result of the Palestinian resistance.

"(Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon and his government have destroyed the political settlement and got far away from the peace line," he said.

Kaddoumi arrived in Damascus Saturday evening for a two-day visit.

Source: Xinhua