FRANCE: PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC MEETS WITH VISITING SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD

Record ID: 645783

  • Title: FRANCE: PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC MEETS WITH VISITING SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD
  • Date: 19th December 2002
  • Summary: (W7) PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 18, 2002) (REUTERS POOL) MV REPUBLICAN GUARDS OUTSIDE MARIGNY RESIDENCE; SCU GUARD MV SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD GETTING OUT OF CAR AND GREETED BY PRESIDENT CHIRAC; MV BOTH PRESIDENTS WALKING UP STEPS/ HANDSHAKE ON DOORSTEP (2 SHOTS) MV/SCU/SLV CHIRAC AND ASSAD SEATED SLV EXTERIOR OF MARIGNY RESIDENCE; MV CHIRAC AND ASSAD COMING OUT/HANDSHAKE; MV CHIRAC ACCOMPANYING ASSAD TO HIS CAR/BOTH PRESIDENTS CHATTING/HANDSHAKE; ASSAD INTO CAR (4 SHOTS) SCU ASSAD IN CAR SALUTING; SLV CAR LEAVING Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 3rd January 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PARIS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVACR6LU05A1PARIDAI171QVZZII
  • Story Text: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has met with French President Jacques Chirac in Paris for talks on the Iraqi crisis and the Middle East conflict.
    President Jacques Chirac held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the Marigny residence on Wednesday (December 18, 2002).
    Their meeting was aimed at discussing the situation in Iraq, the Middle East crisis and at boosting the relationships between France and Syria.
    After their meeting, both Presidents denied to speak to reporters.
    On Tuesday (December 17) in London President Bashar al-Assad criticised Western demands for the reform of Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, saying they were a cover to replace the veteran leader with pro-Israeli figures.
    He said that countries calling for reforms were ignoring the root cause of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict Assad, whose country has a history of poor relations with the Palestinian leader, said in London he had repeatedly asked European politicians if they saw any alternative to Arafat to run the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. But none of them had an answer.
    Bashar al-Assad said a U.S.-led war on Iraq would set the Arab world back decades and sow the seeds of future terrorism.
    Assad also denied on Tuesday (December 17) that Iraq's President Saddam Hussein posed a threat to the region and that most people believed Washington was confronting Baghdad because of oil, not weapons of mass destruction.
    Syria was one of 15 members of the U.N. Security Council which unanimously demanded last month that Baghdad disarm or face "serious consequences" but Damascus inisted the resolution was aimed at avoiding, not triggering war.
  • Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register