|
Syria in Talks to Buy Airbus Jets as Sarkozy Visits Damascus
By Andrew England in Damascus and Ben Hall and Peggy Hollinger in Paris
President Nicolas Sarkozy began a two-day visit to Damascus yesterday as the French government confirmed that "exploratory discussions" had taken place with Syria over its
desire to buy Airbus passenger jets.
Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, is hoping that Mr Sarkozy's visit - the first by a western leader for several years - will help secure his tentative return to the international
fold.
But the preliminary talks on the potential sale of Airbus aircraft to Syrianair will add to sensitivities over Mr Sarkozy's initiative, particularly in Washington . The US has a trade embargo against Syria and
Airbus jets -contain many US-made -components.
Airbus, in partnership with Northrop Grumman, is still hoping to win a $35bn (€24bn, £20bn) deal to supply air-to-air refuelling tankers to the US air force and any
controversy over potential sales by the company to Syria could bolster supporters of rival bidder Boeing.
An Airbus spokesman said: "We are always in discussion with any potential customer. But there is no proposal
and no deal and we cannot comment on any early stage of discussion."
But a senior French official said: "These are exploratory discussions. One of the elements will be to know, when the moment comes, what will
be the position of the US . But we are not at that stage as far as I know."
Mr Sarkozy met Mr Assad to discuss Lebanon and Syria 's indirect peace talks with Israel .
After meeting the French president, Mr
Assad said that any attack on Iran would be a disaster, adding that Syria would work to help find a solution to the stand-off between the west and Tehran over its nuclear programme.
"Obviously there is a lack of
confidence between Iran and the countries involved in this issue. We will continue our efforts for dialogue," he said. "Nobody in the world will be able to bear the consequences of any action that is not peaceful
because it would not result in a solution but in a disaster."
The French and Syrian leaders will sit down today with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, who has helped mediate the indirect talks
between Syria and Israel , and Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the emir of Qatar , which brokered a Lebanese power-sharing agreement. Syria 's state-controlled press has billed Mr Sarkozy's trip as an example of the failure
of the US-led policy of isolation and a recognition of Damascus 's regional role.
"It's a huge public relations coup that will solidify Assad's claim [to power]," said a diplomat. "For him, it is a
personal vindication."
Just nine months ago, Mr Sarkozy suspended diplomatic relations with Damascus , citing the government's failure to help resolve the political crisis in Lebanon that threatened to drag that
country back to civil war.
But in May, Syria suppor-ted a Lebanese agreement reached in Doha , the Qatari capital, that paved the way for the election of a president and the formation of a Lebanese government.
It was then revealed that Damascus had been holding indirect peace talks with Israel .
Mr Sarkozy rewarded Syria for the developments by inviting Mr Assad to a Mediterranean Union summit and France's national day
celebrations in July - an invitation usually reserved for France's closest allies.
|
