Damascus - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Damascus on Monday for a brief visit ahead of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's official visit to Syria in early September.

Kouchner was greeted by Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Abdel Fattah Amoura and the French ambassador to Syria, Michel Duclos, before heading to the presidential palace for talks with President Bashar al-Assad.

Kouchner was also to hold talks with his Syria counterpart, Walid al-Moallem. Talks were expected to focus on bilateral relations and regional affairs.

The talks will also prepare Sarkozy's visit to Syria on September 3-4. dpa