It is still too early for the European Union to sign a stalled partnership pact with Syria, and more progress is needed in dialogue between Damascus and Israel, the French foreign minister said today.
"My personal opinion is perhaps it's a bit too early, we are going to have to wait and see how the dialogue between Israel and Syria develops," Bernard Kouchner, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told a European Parliament committee.
"But we should be prepared to move forward. Not yet, we should be on standby, and ready to respond to the opening up, the democratic opening up of Syria, but I think that we will need to bide our time," he said.
Mr Kouchner was speaking after a visit by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Paris at the weekend marking his emergence from isolation by the West three years after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, which many believe was orchestrated from Damascus.
Mr Assad was in the French capital for the unveiling of a new "Union for the Mediterranean" with more than 40 other leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert - the first time leaders of the two states had been in the same room.
Syria and Israel began indirect peace talks earlier this year with Turkish mediation, and EU diplomats have highlighted the role of French President Nicolas Sarkozy in a shift in EU thinking on Syria.
On Saturday night, the French leader scored a success when he hosted talks between Mr Assad and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, who agreed to normalise relations between Damascus and Beirut for the first time since independence in 1943.
But Mr Assad played down prospects of any early breakthrough with Israel on Saturday, saying he did not expect direct talks for six months until President George W. Bush leaves office.
Reuters