premise: CAIRO, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Visiting UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that the international organization is interested in pushing forward the Middle East peace process at all tracks.
  Annan, who arrived here late Monday, made the remarks at a press conference after talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit. (Egypt-Annan-Mideast)
  DAMASCUS, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- A senior Syrian official said here Tuesday that the country would keep its firm stances and deal with mounting international pressure against Damascus in an objective and flexible way.
  Information Minister Mahdi Dakhlullah made the remarks to reporters in a statement following a weekly cabinet session.
   What had to occur for the information minister to make the statement to reporters?
hypothesis: arrived here late Monday