French FM visits Damascus, calls for "sovereign, stable, peaceful” Syria

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot expressed his hope on Friday for a "sovereign, stable and peaceful" Syria as he visited Damascus for talks on behalf of the European Union.

"This hope is real" but also "fragile", Barrot told journalists at the French embassy in Damascus on his first visit to Syria since the opposition toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.