Dutch FM holds talks in Syria

0 Comments | AFP, December, 2006

DAMASCUS (AFP) — Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot has held talks with Syria's leadership in the latest EU opening toward Damascus amid US efforts to isolate the country. Bot, who arrived overnight Monday for a brief visit, and Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri discussed coordination on regional issues and efforts to boost ties between their countries, state news agency SANA reported Tuesday.

During a visit coinciding with a political crisis in neighbouring Lebanon, he also held talks with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem before meeting with President Bashar al-Assad. In Beirut, the opposition led by Hezbollah, a Shiite movement supported by Damascus and Tehran, has been pressing with massive street protests for the overthrow of the Western-backed government. Bot became the...