In last July and early August 1980, Mr. Thorn toured the Middle east,The Middle East tour included talks here in Damascus, with Syria’s leaders.
Once again, the natural optimism of Mr. Thorn could have been frustrated by the complexities bred from decades of Middle Eastern confrontation and diplomatic expediency.
The delegation led by Mr. Thorn had extensive discussions with Syria’s foreign Minister Abdel Halim khaddam. Syria, along with a number of other hardline Aran states, had criticised the EEC’s declaration on the Mideast issue at its Venice summit in June.
It was then described as an attempt to bolter the regionally-despised Camp David peace process between Israel and Egypt. In this talks with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, Mr. Thorn found little to indicate any change in attitude.
