Sarkozy to Start Historic Visit to Damascus Wednesday

Source: Al-Manar TV, 3-9-2008
In the first visit of its kind by a Western head of state since Syria was portrayed as "isolated" in the international scene in 2005, French President Nicolas Sarkozy headed on Wednesday to Damascus for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other leaders.
Sarkozy's two-day historic visit to Damascus, which is aimed at restoring top-level ties and formalizing normal relations between the two countries on the highest level after a freeze of political contacts for more than three years, is set to further pull Damascus out of an international isolation it suffers for years and prove once again the major role Syria plays in the Middle East.
The French leader, who will dine with his Syrian counterpart Wednesday in Damascus ahead of joint talks with regional mediators Turkey and Qatar on Thursday, said on the eve of his visit that France and Syria were key to Middle East peace.
"As I told President Bashar al-Assad when he came to Paris on July 12, the path of peace in this region passes through our countries," he told the Syrian daily Al-Watan, which is close to government circles.
"Syria can provide an irreplaceable contribution to solving Middle East issues. It is important that Syria plays a positive role in the region."
"I can say that today a new era between Syria and France based on France's new policy, a realistic, pragmatic policy that is aimed at achieving peace and calls for dialogue," Assad told French TV on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Syria and France would ink several agreements in various fields, including oil, health, economy, agriculture, industry, and tourism cooperation, during Sarkozy's visit, according to the Syrian daily al-Watan.
Al-Watan also reported that Assad would host a four-way summit during Sarkozy's stay, including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. The Syrian authorities have confirmed the four-way summit.
The summit was widely seen of importance, as France holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, Syria similarly takes the rotating chairmanship of the Arab League, and Qatar currently heads the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council.
Syria's official Tishrin newspaper predicted an "excellent and positive outcome" to Sarkozy's visit, both for regional security and ties with Europe.
"After a careful examination of history, the French leadership under Sarkozy has realized that Syria is key to the Middle East and to solving its regional issues," agreed the ruling party newspaper Al-Baath. "France knows now that American presTyree on Syria does not and will not serve peace."
"ISRAEL" URGES EU TO BE CAUTIOUS IN DEALING WITH SYRIA
Meanwhile, "Israel" urged Europe to exercise utmost caution in dealing with Syria. "Europe must be very careful in its relationship with Syria as that country opens up," foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said.
He did not refer directly to the visit to Damascus by Sarkozy, whose country currently holds the European Union presidency.
"Except for a slight change in tone, Syrian policies have not changed," Palmor said.
The "Israeli" spokesman also accused Syria of "exacerbating the diplomatic tension between Russia and Europe."
President al-Assad voiced support for Russia in its conflict with Georgia during a visit to Moscow last month.