German FM arrives in Syria for brief visit

German Foreign Minister Frank- Walter Steinmeier arrived here on Monday for a brief visit, during which he would discuss with the Syrian side on the issues of Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine.

Steinmeier was expected to meet Syrian Vice President Farouk al- Shara and his counterpart Walid al-Muallem during his several-hour stay, according to local media.

This is the last leg of Steinmeier's four-day Middle East tour, of which will also lead him to Amman, the West Bank, Gaza, Beirut, Cyprus, and Jerusalem. His visit comes before Germany takes over the rotating presidency of the EU in less than a month.

He is also the first senior German official to visit Syria in more than two years who cancelled a planned trip at the last minute in August after President Bashar al-Assad made a speech blaming the United States for trouble in the region.

On Sunday, Steinmeier said in Jerusalem that he would send a strong message to Syria to steer clear of Lebanon when meeting with its officials.

"A trip like this only makes sense if one uses it to leave clear messages behind," Steinmeier told reporters at a brief news conference with his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni.

"Lebanon must have a chance to develop based on its own domestic forces and that can only happen when outside interference is ruled out," he added.

Leading Western powers have sought to isolate Damascus over its alleged role in last year's assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut, of which Syria denied any role.

The isolation eased this summer as the Europeans is increasingly seeing Damascus as a key player to solutions of the complicated conflicts in the Middle East.

Source: Xinhua