The summit was widely seen of importance, as France holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, Syria similarly takes the rotating chairmanship of the Arab League, and Qatar currently heads the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council.

Besides, Turkey's Erdogan has mediated indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel for four rounds since May and Qatar's Emir brokered an agreement between rival Lebanese parties in Doha in May.

France froze high-level official contacts with Syria shortly after the assassination of former Lebanese Rafik Hariri in 2005 and led international pressure against Syria.

But Syria's role in supporting reconciliation in Lebanon and its indirect peace talks with Israel contributed to a shift of France's policy towards Damascus and helped facilitate Sarkozy's historic trip, which would further pull Damascus out of an international isolation it suffers for years.

(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2008)