Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam Wednesday visited the headquarters of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus Industrie in the southern French city of Toulouse. Khaddam, on the third day of a 4-day official visit to France aimed at expanding bilateral ties, toured the Airbus factories with the company’s president, Jean Pierson, officials said.
Syrian Arab Airlines currently uses Russian planes or those of Airbus’ chief rival, the U.S. Boeing Co. Khaddam held separate meetings in Paris on Tuesday with French President Jacques Chirac and Foreign Minister Herve de Charette. De Charette said Tuesday night that Paris and Damascus had taken ‘great steps’ toward resolving a dispute over Syria’s debt to France of 1.2 billion francs ($243 million), which has been overdue for some years and has complicated their economic relations. Khaddam’s visit coincides with a trip to Paris by Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. However, there were no immediate indications that the two planned to meet.