AP Interview: Syria's top UK diplomat says Damascus will soon send ambassador to Paris

Syria will send a new ambassador to France in a move that may thaw frozen diplomatic ties between the two countries, Damascus' top diplomat in London said Tuesday. Sami Khiyami, Syria's ambassador to Britain and Ireland, said a new representative will likely be sent to France in "the very near future." Syria has not had an ambassador in Paris since 2006. Relations between Paris and Damascus became strained over the death of Lebanon's Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. Syria has always denied any involvement in Hariri's death. Khiyami said he believed France now realizes that relations with Syria are vital to bringing peace to the Mideast. "We notice that France has recognized after all, and since Mr. Chirac departed, the real valve of security and stability in the Middle East is Syria," Khiyami told The Associated Press in... [read full story]