Damascus - European Union foreign policy chief Javier
Solana arrived in Syria late Wednesday, where he was received by
the Syrian assistant foreign minister at Damascus airport.
Upon arrival, Solana said that his visit to Syria is a follow up
to what has been achieved in the Syrian-European relations. He also
expressed his satisfaction with the indirect negotiations between
Syria and Israel.
During the visit, Solana will hold talks with Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad, Vice President Farouq al-Shara'a and Foreign
Minister Waleed al-Muallem. Solana is expected to meet Assad on
Thursday.
The talks will tackle the latest developments in the region, the
frozen Syrian-European partnership agreement, and the indirect
Israeli-Syrian peace talks, which have been brokered by Turkey.
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 factions
reached a consensus to solve their internal differences and after the
establishment of diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon last
week.
'We have a long-standing position that aims at reaching a
comprehensive peace process in the region, the Europeans would like
to have vital role in this process,' said Solana, whose last visit to
Damascus was in March 2007.
Solana's five-day tour started on Sunday in the United Arab
Emirates, where he met UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed
Al-Nahyan. The EU chief also visited Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Solana had met with Muallem on the sidelines of the United Nations
General Assembly meeting in New York about a month ago.
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