Syria, EU say nearing long-sought cooperation pact

Syria and the European Union said they were inching closer to an economic and political cooperation pact, almost a decade after the start of bilateral negotiations.

"We've been making recently, particularly since 2002, very good progress in our negotiations with Syria and I think we are now at the beginning of what I call the end game," EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten said.

The move towards the agreement contrasts with relations between Syria and the United States, which accuses Damascus of supporting terrorist activity and failing to stop militants from crossing into neighbouring Iraq to kill US forces. Syria has denied supporting terrorism.

Mr Patten told a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara that, while talks were progressing, there were still some hurdles to overcome.

"The things that still separate us are limited in number, but they are still quite important and they are right at the heart of what trade negotiators in particular always argue about," Mr Patten said.

The main issues on the agenda for the 11th round of talks planned for October include agreement on tariffs and export quotas, although these are now seen as a lesser obstacle due to Syria's drive to liberalise its traditionally closed economy.

An EU-Syria agreement would be one of several similar pacts between the 15-nation bloc its Mediterranean neighbours after a meeting in Barcelona in 1995 set the ground for the creation of a free trade zone by 2010.

Syria is the only participant in the Barcelona meeting yet to sign an association agreement.

The official Syrian news agency quoted President Bashar al-Assad as saying after meeting Mr Patten that the Arab state was keen on "overcoming the obstacles that stand in the way of signing the agreement".

Mr Shara, whose country presented the EU with a long-awaited list of tariffs in August to expedite the effort, said he expected that an agreement could be reached soon.

He emphasised the impact it could have on jobs, economic growth and industrial modernisation.

"I don't think anybody should doubt the political will on both sides to complete those negotiations," Mr Patten said.