Güncelleme Tarihi:
After years of being shunned by former French leader Jacques Chirac, Assad will be welcomed at the Elysee palace for talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy before joining some 40 other foreign leaders for a Mediterranean summit on Sunday.
Assad will also hold a meeting in
But speculation of a historic meeting between Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been quashed, even though the leaders will find themselves at the same table for the launch of the Union for the
On Monday, the 42-year-old Syrian leader joins dozens of other leaders from Europe, the Middle East and north Africa to watch the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs Elysee’s during
"This visit is for me a historic visit: an opening up to
While the
The former president cut off all high-level contacts with
While Assad will be applauding troops marching in the Bastille Day parade, Chirac will be conspicuous by his absence from the dais. Officials have denied the former presidents decision to stay away was linked to Assad.
But he added that given Assad’s willingness to take part in the new Mediterranean forum for cooperation and the fact that
Sarkozy’s office has said the president will raise human rights concerns during his one-on-one talks with Assad on Saturday and try to advance the Israeli-Syrian peace process.
Assad has suggested that the energetic Sarkozy, who took over from Chirac in May last year, could play a direct role in Israeli-Syrian talks.
"My impression is that he is enthusiastic about these negotiations and wants
"If he confirms it to me, I will immediately invite him to support directly this peace process."
Israel and Syria, which technically remain at war ever since the creation of the Jewish state in 1948, have held three rounds of indirect talks through Turkey since March, raising peace prospects after an eight-year break.
While the
After the election in May of Lebanons Sleiman under a power-sharing deal between rival politicians, Sarkozy moved to reward Assad by renewing high-level contacts with
Assad’s visit comes as
Photo: AFP