Syrian FM sudden visit carries message to Chirac

French President Jacques Chirac on Tuesday night received Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa and held a closed door meeting that dealt with the Middle East peace process.

Al-Sharaa refrained from giving any statements during his sudden visit to Paris, during which he delivered a message from President al-Assad to Chirac.

Spokeswoman for the French Presidential palace Catherine Colona said following the meeting, "President al-Assad is careful to acquaint President Chirac with his impressions on the situation in the region and the Middle East peace process in particular." She added that the two sides did not show "big optimism" on these issues.

She added that al-Sharaa stressed that his country "will be open towards the peace process," but he insisted on the "Syrian conditions" to resume peace negotiations.

Colona went on to explain that the visit falls in the course of "friendly relations between Syria and France." It came as a result of decisions taken during President al-Assad's visit to France, pertaining the two countries' persistence to "exchange information on regular basis through ministers or high-ranking official channels, whenever necessary."

Al-Sharaa's visit lasted for several hours. He came back to Damascus at night.