Al-Nahar: Khaddam visits Paris today

The Lebanese daily al-Nahar said Monday that the Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam will start today a visit to Paris during which he will be meeting with the French President Jacques Chirac and high ranking French officials.

The paper quoted Syrian sources saying that Khaddam will convey to President Chirac a message from President Bashar al-Assad relating to the situation in the region and bilateral relations.

The paper said that Damascus pins great importance on Paris's position in its being the most balanced and of more understanding for the Arab interests than the American stand, especially in the two causes of Palestine and Iraq.