Al-Sharaa to Stuttgart to attend Euro-Mediterranean ministerial conference

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa left Damascus on Wednesday for Stuttgart to take part in the third ministerial meeting of the European - Mediterranean conference in which some 15 European states and 12sSouthern Mediterranean states are taking part.

Well-informed sources in Damascus said that Libya's first participation in the conference under the title of "special invitee" came at an official request of Syria which was proposed by Damascus repeatedly, the last time during the talks of EU Middle East peace process coordinator Miguel Moratinos several days ago in Syria.

European diplomatic sources in Damascus also said that the ministers will make on Thursday and Friday a revision of what had been achieved in the context of the European-Mediterranean partnership since the Palermo meeting in June 1998 according to the bases agreed upon in the Barcelona conference of 1995 so as to make the Mediterranean region a zone for dialogue and cooperation in order to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in accordance with the three pillars set out in Barcelona: security and peace; economy and finance and cultural and humanitarian dimensions.