Syria's Assad hails 'climate of trust' ahead of French visit

(PARIS) - Syrian President Bahar al-Assad hailed a "climate of trust" with France ahead of a visit on Friday, but bemoaned US President Barack Obama's lack of a Middle East peace action plan.

Assad, due in Paris for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy expected to focus on prospects for Israeli-Syrian talks, told the Le Figaro daily's Friday edition that there was now a "clear vision of the future."

"A year and a half after the resumption of good relations between France and Syria, we have first of all built a climate of trust and we can, now, elaborate a clearer vision for the future," he told the paper.

Relations between France and Syria have been warming since Assad paid a landmark visit to Paris last year for Bastille Day celebrations and Sarkozy visited Damascus two months later in September 2008.

But the Syrian leader said that "we haven't yet reached a revival of trust between Syria and the United States," and called on Obama to do more for the stalled Middle East peace process.

"What President Obama said about peace was a good thing. We agree with him on the principles, but... what is the plan of action? The (peace process) sponsor must come up with a plan of action," he said.

Assad also repeated his position that Damascus must review a partnership agreement with the European Union, which had been due to be signed in October, calling on the bloc to have "more political independence."

"The Europeans have turned completely towards the United States, to Syria's detriment. A partner must be a friend and we haven't noticed that from Europe these last years," he said.

Damascus and the EU first drew up the draft partnership pact in 2004 but it was never signed by European countries, amid concerns by some nations of rights abuse in Syria.

The Netherlands in particular demanded a clause allowing for the suspension of the deal in the event of proven rights abuses.