Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdad said Sunday that his country would resume peace talks with Israel on basis of international resolutions when the Jewish state is ready.

Meqdad made the remarks at a joint press conference with visiting leader of the Civil Rights for Black Americans Jesse Jackson.

Syria has always been calling for a resumption of the peace process on the basis of the UN Security Council resolutions and Arab peace initiatives, Meqdad said.

"When Israel is ready to resume the peace process on the basis, Syria will be constantly ready to achieve results that restore the Arabs' legitimate rights, notably a just peace" in the region, he added.

Peace talks between Syria and Israel foundered in January 2000 over the issue of the Golan Heights, which was occupied by the Jewish state during the 1967 Middle East war.

Meanwhile, Meqdad expressed support for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and welcome to the EU participation in the UN peacekeeping forces there according to UN resolution 1701.

"We look positively on the important role played by the United Nations in this regard," Meqdad said, adding that "We are happy that UNIFIL will not be implicated in tasks which will create problems for it".

For his part, Jackson, heading a delegation on a humanitarian mission which will also take him to Lebanon and Israel, said Syria backs efforts to release captured Israeli soldiers and Arab prisoners held in Israeli jails.

"President Assad supports the finding of their status and release. He uses influence and appeal to find out what their status is and ultimately their release," Jackson said.

Jackson said Syria, which supports the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), could play a substantial role in solving the present prisoners impasse.

Israel launched massive attacks successively in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon after Palestinian militants and Hezbollah kidnapped its soldiers respectively in cross-border raids for an exchange of Arab prisoners in its jails.

Earlier in the day, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held a meeting with Jackson on the current regional and international situations, particularly in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq, according to the official SANA news agency.

Both sides exchanged views on the possibility of resuming the Middle East peace process and maintaining security and stability in the region at this critical circumstances.

For his part, Jackson noted Syria's key role and the importance of enhancing security and stability in the region while briefing the President on targets of his visit to the region.

Source: Xinhua