Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa held talks today with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on an Egyptian-Jordanian plan aimed at ending seven months of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed, officials and diplomats said.
Mr Moussa, who held brief talks with his Syrian counterpart Farouq al-Shara immediately after arriving, did not speak to reporters as both men headed for the meeting with Assad.
Mr Moussa's visit to Damascus followed Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres's call in on Cairo yesterday when the Egyptian-Jordanian truce plan, which also calls for resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations, was discussed.
Mr Moussa was to travel on to Saudi Arabia.
Syria today renewed its strong support for the Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule that erupted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in September. It said the uprising should continue.
"The uprising is continuing and should continue. Any attempt to stop it before it realises its objectives is doomed to fail," one official said.
"As long as Israel is still occupying the Arab lands and refusing to implement UN resolutions, the international efforts should be directed to Israel which is the aggressor and not to the Arabs who are the victim," the official said.