Damascus, September 11 (RHC)-- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem says fighting terrorism should be an international priority.  In a meeting with visiting UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura in Damascus on Wednesday, Moallem said that the international community needs to prioritize battling terror and use all of its resources in accordance with a recent UN resolution.
 
On August 15th, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution asking "all member states to take national measures to suppress the flow of foreign terrorist fighters" into Iraq and Syria.  The Syrian foreign minister said fighting terror would prepare the ground for the reconstruction process of Syria, adding that "only the will of the Syrian people will determine its future."
 
De Mistura also said that he was ready to "do anything to help end suffering in Syria by fighting terror and encouraging reconciliations, and by allowing a political solution" to the country's crisis.
 
The UN envoy, an Italian-Swedish diplomat, is scheduled to meet with President Bashar Assad on Thursday.  De Mistura arrived in Damascus on Tuesday in his first visit to the country since he was appointed for the job.  He replaced Lakhdar Brahimi, who resigned on May 31st  after nearly two years of failed efforts to end the war.
 
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011.  The Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are reportedly supporting the militants operating inside Syria.