By Jia Xiaohua, Xinhua,
Damascus : French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to start a two-day visit to Syria on Wednesday which would formalize normal relations between the two countries on the highest level after a freeze of political contacts for more than three years.
Historic Visit From The West
Syria’s role in supporting reconciliation with Lebanon and its indirect peace talks with Israel helped facilitate Sarkozy’s historic trip, which would further pull Damascus out of an international isolation it suffers for years.
“The French-Syrian relations have many dimensions, which need a constructive dialogue,” Syrian political analyst Ali Qasim said on Tuesday.
Sarkozy, the first head of state of the West to visit Syria in years, was expected to discuss a wide range of topics with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in their talks, veteran Syrian journalist Razzouk al-Ghawi told Xinhua on Tuesday.
“French-Syrian relations and regional issues, particularly situations in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories, as well as Iran’s nuclear plan and the peace process in the region are expected to be involved in their talks,” listed Ghawi.
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 independent al-Watan newspaper published on Tuesday.
Four-Party Summit Expecred
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.
Besides, Turkey’s Erdogan has mediated indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel for four rounds since May and Qatar’s Emir brokered an agreement between rival Lebanese parties in Doha in May.
“They are important regional players and a bridge between the East and the West,” said al-Watan.
Damascus has been marginalized by the West for its alleged involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri in Feb. 2005, an accusation denied by the Arab country.
Isolation Melts Gradually
France, together with the United States, which has imposed economic sanctions on Syria since 2004, led international pressure against Damascus and efforts for the creation of a UN investigation and a UN-backed tribunal on suspects of the Hariri case.
Paris was also instrumental in forcing Syrian troops out of Lebanon in 2005, ending its nearly three-decade military presence there.
Sarkozy, however, has switched the policy after he became president in 2007 to renew high-level ties, although the United States continues its isolation, still viewing Syria as a state supporting terrorism.
The policy towards Damascus changed particularly after the Qatar-brokered agreement in May to elect Michel Suleiman as Lebanese president, ending a long-lasting political crisis there. Damascus was deemed to have played a constructive role in reaching the pact.
In August, Syria and Lebanon declared to establish diplomatic ties and demarcate their borders, an encouraging move urged by the West for many years.
On the other hand, Syria has conducted four rounds of indirect peace talks with Israel through Turkey’s mediation since May, which was seen as positive signals by Damascus.
Following Assad’s high-profile visit to Paris in July, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner visited Syria last week to prepare for Sarkozy’s trip.
One day before Kouchner’s journey, Syria appointed its ambassador to France, a post that had been vacant for two years because of the tense ties between the two countries.
Last week, Lebanese President Suleiman called upon world leaders to follow Sarkozy’s example in drawing Syria out of isolation, saying the international community must open up to Syria because it plays a fundamental role on the regional level.
However, Washington reasserted last week it was not planning to follow suit, warning that “until Syria plays a positive role in the region, it is going to continue to isolate itself.”