Peres commends Abu Mazen as 'peace partner'

Israeli President Shimon Peres stated that Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is considered as "a peace partner" with Israel. Peres, in a joint press conference with his French counterpart Francois Hollande held at the Elysee presidential palace, said that Abu Mazen is "a responsible person and truly willing to establish peace with Israel". Hollande expressed his dismay about the current stalemate in the Syrian crisis. He said he was sorry that Russia had not been willing to convince Bashar al-Assad to step down and let the political transformation to commence in his country, referring to his attempts to persuade the opposition that holding talks with parties other than Assad is possible. Hollande added that Paris has recently made contacts with different sides including the United States to guarantee that mediation coming from Syria itself will pay off.