CAIRO: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad expressed his readiness to maintain cooperative relations with Egypt, the Syrian news agency SANA, reported. The Syrian president sent a message, through the Syrian Ambbasador Youssef Ahmad, to the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Field Marshall Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, which currently rules Egypt since the resignation of former President Hosni Mubarak on February 11. Assad expressed his hope that Egypt and Syria could restore normal relations and also expressed Syria`s readiness to cooperate and consult closely with Egypt in all fields and that Egypt restore its role in the Arab Region. Assad added that he hoped Egypt would enjoy the permanent stability it seeks. SANA reported that the message came in reply to a prior message sent by Marshall Tantawi to the Syrian President. Tantawi has stressed the importance of solid relations between the two countries and the imperative to open a new page, following years of tensions between the two Arab States. The news agency added that Tantawi expressed hopes to meet Assad as soon as possible. The severing of relations worsened during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, when the Syrian President said Egypt`s stance was against Hezbollah. BM
