DAMASCUS, July 15 (AFP) - An envoy of the European Union, Annalisa Gianella, held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara on Thursday to explain the bloc's policy on weapons of mass destruction which has proved a major needle in relations.
"The purpose of my visit is to explain to our friends, the Syrians, the security strategy and the strategy against proliferation of WMD which were adopted by EU countries last December," she said after her talks with Shara.
Syria and the EU had planned to sign an association agreement early this year but talks have stumbled over the WMD issue.
"To be able to discuss together the security strategy allows us to better understand each other. I hope that it can be effective and fruitful in the perspective of the conclusion of the association agreement," she added.
Shara recalled Syria's position on the subject to Gianella, who is advisor to the EU's top foreign policy representative Javier Solana.
The official Syrian news agency quoted Shara as saying "all parties without exception (including Israel) must cooperate to make the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction."
Earlier this month, Franz Hesske, the EU representative in Damascus, said: "The EU is very concerned about (the weapons issue). But Syria is not singled out. It's part of our policy to bring this issue of WMD under control."