Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara shakes hands with Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis prior to a meeting in Damascus.

The European Union should play a bigger role in the Middle East peace process, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said during a visit to Damascus on Tuesday.

"The European Union should be much more involved," Bakoyannis told journalists. "And our message is strong and clear: we need to encourage all the parties for a new process for peace in the Middle East."

But with rumours swirling of a possible Israeli peace overture to Syria, from which the Jewish state captured the strategic Golan Heights in 1967, Bakoyannis denied she had any message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

She described her talks with the Syrian leadership as very interesting and hailed Greece's relations with Syria as "very good," despite Washington's efforts to sideline Damascus for its alleged sponsorship of terrorism.

The minister repeated EU backing for an Arab League peace plan that offers Israel normalised relations with all Arab nations in return for land captured in 1967, a viable Palestinian state and the return of refugees.

"We have to give the Arab League's proposals a chance," she said.

"We have to encourage the European Union to be more involved in the region so that we can attempt peace which is the goal and we should spend more effort to do that."

AFP

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