French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that he will arrive in Damascus on September 3 for a visit, during which he will discuss several issues with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al-Assad, the first of which is Paris's role in future direct talks between Israel and Syria.
He said that he had heard many voices, including that of the U.S., calling to adopt a policy of isolating Syria, but that he preferred dialogue, which is riskier but brings greater hope.
Sources: Al-Watan, Al-Thawra, Syria; Al-Hayat, London, August 28, 2008
