by Jia Xiaohua
DAMASCUS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner paid a short visit to Syria on Monday in preparation for an upcoming visit of French President Nicholas Sarkozy early next month.
During his hours stay, Kouchner held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem on a wide range of issues, particularly those in Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, in addition to bilateral relations.
According to the official SANA news agency, Assad underlined in his meeting with Kouchner the importance of adopting dialogue and diplomacy as the only way to solve conflicts, stressing that ending the Israeli occupation of the Arab lands is the guarantee for achieving permanent peace and security in the Middle East.
Kouchner told Assad that France, as rotating head of the European Union, wants Europe to play its role and assume responsibly in the Middle East.
At a joint press conference with Muallem following the talks, Kouchner reasserted that his country is willing to play a role in pushing forward peace process between Israel and Syria.
It was good that Syria and Israel were conducting indirect peace talks through a Turkish mediation, Kouchner said.
Meanwhile, Muallem said it is not time to go into direct talks with the Jewish state, saying "there has not been enough progress" for direct negotiation.
"But we feel that both sides are serious about solving the pending issues that are being discussed. Foremost is determination of the June 4, 1967 line," Muallem said, in the first official comment of the content of the talks.
On the Lebanese file, Kouchner said he had expressed concerns to Assad about the conflicts in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, where dozens of people were killed in deadly sectarian clashes.
He also expressed happiness that Syria and Lebanon would exchange ambassadors before the end of the year.
Kouchner, who just wrapped up a visit to neighboring Lebanon, said in Beirut that he would tell Syrian officials during his stay in Syria that "the future relations between France and Syria highly depends on the nature of Lebanese-Syrian ties."
Assad, in another meeting with visiting Lebanese Minister of Youth and Sports Talal Arslan earlier on Monday, said Syria will continue to stand by Lebanon and its national and Arab line, according to SANA.
Assad renewed Syria's support to all of what the Lebanese agree upon so as to bring about prosperity and stability to Lebanon, SANA said.
Commenting on Kouchner's visit at the press conference, Muallem hailed his trip here as "fruitful and constructive," saying he was glad that ties between Syria and France were "returning to normal."
Kouchner is the first senior French official to visit Syria in three years due to strained relations between the two countries following the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri in 2005. Damascus was accused of being involved in the killing, but it denied any role.
His visit came days after Syria and Lebanon announced earlier this month that they would establish diplomatic ties and demarcate their border during a visit here by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.
It also came one day following Syria appointed Lamia Shakkour as its ambassador to France on Sunday, a post that was vacant for two years also because of the tense ties between Syria and France.
France froze high-level official contacts with Syria shortly after the killing of Hariri, which also led international pressure against Syria and efforts for the creation of a UN investigation and a UN-backed tribunal on suspects of the Hariri case.
France shifted its policy towards Damascus after rival Lebanese parties reached in May an agreement to elect Michel Suleiman as president, ending a long-lasting political crisis. Damascus was deemed to have played a constructive role in reaching the pact.
