Sarkozy visit to consolidate ties with Syria

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Francois Murphy

DAMASCUS/PARIS (Reuters) - Syria hosts French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday, consolidating a return to the international fold helped by its peace talks with Israel and support for reconciliation in Lebanon.

Sarkozy, the first Western head of state to pay an official visit to Syria for at least three years, hopes to use the visit to encourage Syria's diplomatic relations with Lebanon and offer Damascus an alternative to its close alliance with Iran.

"Obviously, talking to Syria ... does not guarantee that Damascus will distance itself from Tehran, and we are not asking for that," a French official close to Sarkozy said.

"What we think is that by offering Syria a choice, then the choice becomes possible ... The moment that Syria renews ties, through France, with Europe, maybe with the West, and we hope with its Arab environment, then one can imagine that evolutions will become possible," the official told reporters in Paris.

He said Sarkozy would also ask Assad to use those ties with Tehran to urge Iran to cooperate with major powers over its nuclear programme, which Western countries say could be used to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says the programme is peaceful.

Sarkozy is the first Western head of government to visit Damascus since the 2005 assassination of Lebanese statesman Rafik al-Hariri which French officials believed was orchestrated from Syria, the former military power in neighbouring Lebanon.

Paris suspended diplomatic contacts with Damascus last year, accusing the government of blocking Lebanon's presidential election. Syria subsequently helped resolve the political stalemate, opening the way for contacts with France.

Sarkozy's trip marks a further warming of relations between the two countries following a visit by President Bashar al-Assad to Paris in July, when he said his country was ready to open diplomatic relations with Lebanon.