By KUNA,
Damascus : French President Nicolas Sarkozy stressed that Syria could play a positive role in the region and contribute to solving the problems in the Middle East.
Sarkozy told the Syrian “Al-Watan” newspaper, on the occasion of his two-day visit to Damascus that began Wednesday, that Syria and France are starting a new era of relations.
France believes that Syria is gradually adopting the options that the world was waiting for, he added.
Meanwhile, the French president said that the indirect Syrian-Israeli talks are an excellent thing for both countries.
He emphasized that it is normal that the talks should face difficulties.
He said it is not easy at all to make peace and that this needs a lot of effort and determination, praising the courage and awareness of Syrian and Israeli leasers.
Sarkozy also praised the role of Turkey that is acting as mediator in the talks and hoped that Syria and Israel would hold direct negotiations as soon as possible.
The French president said that the Iranian nuclear issue should be solved through dialogue.
He called on the Iranian leaders to think about the judgment of the future generations when making their decisions today.
Sarkozy is on a visit to Syria to attend a summit to be held here Thursday to discuss important issues concerning the Middle East and the region.
The summit will also be attended by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.