Al-Sharaa confers with British minister of state in London

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa met on Thursday morning in London with British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Hoon, upon al-Sharaa's transit stop in his way back to Damascus from Canada.

The two ministers reviewed bilateral relations between Syria and Britain and means of developing them in various fields.

On Wednesday night in Canada, al-Sharaa met with members of the Syrian community in Montreal in a reception held by the community in honor of the minister.

In a speech he made on this occasion, al-Sharaa expressed happiness on opening the new Syrian embassy in Canada, noting that the embassy will strengthen the links between the Syrian expatriates in Canada to Syria.

Al-Sharaa and members of his accompanying delegation arrived in Damascus on Thursday night at the conclusion of a three-day visit to Canada, during which he delivered a message from President Hafez al-Assad to Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Al-Sharaa also held comprehensive talks with his Canadian counterpart, Lloyd Axworthy. He inaugurated the Syrian embassy in Ottawa, met with the president and members of the teaching staff of Ottawa University, members of the Syrian-Canadian business council in Toronto and the Arab ambassadors accredited in Canada.