(JERUSALEM) - Israel on Wednesday urged Europe to exercise utmost caution in dealing with Syria, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy headed to Damascus on the first visit by a Western head of state since 2005.

"Europe must be very careful in its relationship with Syria as that country opens up," foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP.

He did not refer directly to the visit to Damascus by Sarkozy, whose country currently holds the European Union presidency.

"Except for a slight change in tone, Syrian policies have not changed," Palmor said.

Damascus, he said, "continues to support terrorist organisations" -- a reference to the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

The spokesman also accused Syria of "exacerbating the diplomatic tension between Russia and Europe." Syrian President Bashar al-Assad voiced support for Russia in its conflict with Georgia during a visit to Moscow last month.

Sarkozy's trip to Damascus is seen as the latest step towards normalising ties frozen after the 2005 murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri which left Syria isolated.

On Thursday Sarkozy will join a four-way summit on the Syrian-Israeli peace efforts with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

Israel is holding indirect negotiations with Syria, conducted with Turkey acting as a go-between. The fifth round of talks is expected to be held in Ankara on Sunday.

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