According to informed Syrian sources, it has been confirmed today that Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam will be arriving in the French capital, Paris, on Monday evening.
The sources have added that Khaddam will be carrying a message from Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to French President Jacques Chirac. This message will address the major issues and challenges currently faced by the Syrian government. Of utmost importance among these issues is the stalled Syrian-European Partnership Agreement, the increasing pressure from the United States on Damascus, the Iraqi matter, as well as the consequences of the Arab summit’s postponement. The summit was initially scheduled to be held in the Tunisian capital at the end of last month.
The sources have also expressed their expectation that Khaddam will present a set of Syrian proposals concerning all the aforementioned issues to France, which is Syria’s closest European ally. Furthermore, they anticipate that Khaddam will make a request to Paris for assistance in facilitating the signing of the partnership agreement. Damascus heavily relies on this agreement as a means to navigate around American pressure.
Khaddam’s visit comes at a time when Syrian Foreign Minister Farooq al-Shara has postponed his scheduled European tour. The tour was supposed to include visits to Rome, London, and Paris.
