Middle East News

Oct 22, 2008, 9:23 GMT

Damascus calls for a more engaged EU political role in the Mideast

Damascus - Damascus has called on Europe to be more politically engaged in the Middle East and to play a role that is parallel or complementary to the US role. 'The Europeans are able to play a more effective role in the Middle East and to make their political weight equal to their economic one,' the official Syrian mouthpiece, Tishrin newspaper, wrote in its editorial on Wednesday. The newspaper added that the absence of the European political role from the Middle East is not in the interest of both the Arabs and the Europeans. The newspaper also wrote that there were positive signs that Europe was trying to develop its role in the Middle East. And while underlining that it was not a substitute to the US role, Tishrin wrote that 'the European vision to the issues of the Middle East is more realistic.' The call comes as European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana was expected in Syria Wednesday as part of a Middle East tour that also took him to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Solana is expected to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday. Tishrin also wrote that Solana's visit would be followed by other ones from senior European officials. EU-Syrian relations were frozen after the assassination of Lebanese premier Rafik al-Hariri in 2005 despite Syrian denials of any involvement. Relations were revived after the Lebanese political powers reached a consensus to solve their internal differences and after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon last week.

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