EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, on his first visit to Syria in two years, held talks on Wednesday aimed at easing the political crisis in Lebanon.
Solana met separately with Vice President Faruq al-Shara and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and was due later to meet President Bashar al-Assad. According to AFP, Solana told reporters in Beirut on Monday he would hold "frank discussions" on Syria's relations with Lebanon.
SANA reported on Wednesday that al-Shara discussed with Solana the latest regional developments, particularly in Iraq, the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon.
"Shara stressed the importance of dialogue and activating the role of the international legitimacy in achieving security and stability in the region, asserting Syria's care to eliminating all tension factors in the Middle East.
"He called the EU to shoulder responsibilities through adopting independent policies for enhancing cooperation between the European and Mediterranean countries."
Official EU contacts with Syria have been frozen since that attack which was widely blamed on Damascus, despite Syrian denials of any involvement.
"Solana's visit today is a major step on the road to stabilising Arab-European relations," Syria's official newspaper Tishrin said on Wednesday. "We truly hope that this will work out in the interests of the Syrians and Europeans and of peace and security in the region and the world."
