President Bashar al-Assad stressed that the Syrian state is committed to reaching a solution to the crisis through dialogue, the success of which demands serious pressure on the countries involved in backing terrorism. Receiving Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Secretary General Martin Chungong on Monday, the President made it clear that Syria will further pursue national reconciliation and expand its scope as many local reconciliations have been carried out in various areas nationwide. The success of dialogue, President al-Assad however affirmed, demands going ahead with combating terrorism and putting real and serious pressure on the states which are involved in supporting and arming terrorists, a role in whose implementation the IPU and its member states could be quite influential. Essential to achieving that end, the President said, is getting acquainted with the reality of the problems facing the world today with keeping away from the political and media misinformation that was and is still being practiced by some. This, he stressed, will be very helpful to solving these problems, plenty of which are the result of the lack of or poor communication among countries with their different institutions. President al-Assad-IPU 1 The IPU Secretary General, for his part, voiced the Union’s support for Syria in the face of the terrorism inflicted upon it which, Chungong said, has become an international threat as it is no longer limited to Syria and the Middle East region’s countries only. Chungong pointed out in the course of the meeting that his visit to Syria has been very useful in terms of coming to have a close look at the situation and get familiarized with the reality on the ground. He vowed that he will work through the IPU on clarifying the image of the situation in Syria and supporting any effort that would help in finding a way out of the crisis by means of dialogue through which the Syrians come to decide the future of their country. The meeting was attended by Speaker of the People’s Assembly Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, with whom Chungong met yesterday, Senior Advisor to the IPU Secretary General for Arab Affairs Mukhtar Omar. Addressing the reporters in Dama Roze Hotel, Chungong underscored the need of continuing work with the Syrians with the aim to end their suffering and help them go back to a normal situation and build their capabilities to move towards development. “Our view of the situation in Syria and the background of the events in it has become clearer,” said Chungong, referring to the important role parliamentarians could play in helping to resolve the crisis in Syria. The IPU Secretary General asserted that solving the problem of terrorism in the world needs concerted international efforts as this problem has become an international one that jeopardizing the safety of civilians in all areas, noting that the parliamentarians’ possible role in helping to put an end to the spread of terrorism will be discussed. Earlier upon his arrival at Jdaydet Yabous border crossing Sunday morning, Chungong said he sought through his visit to Damascus to hold talks with the Syrian officials and contribute to coming up with a common vision on the crisis in the country along with the international efforts made in this regard.