Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy was to travel to Damascus later Tuesday for a two-day visit, the first voyage to Syria by a French head of state in four years.

The trip will include a summit meeting on the Mideast peace process on Thursday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkish President Recep Tayyid Erdogan and the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

As France holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, Sarkozy will be representing the bloc at the talks. Qatar brokered a deal last May to resolve Lebanon's political crisis, while Turkey has been mediating since May in indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel.

The trip to Syria grew out of talks held in Paris in July on the occasion of the meeting that established the Union for the Mediterranean.

At that time, Assad and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman announced that their two countries would be establishing diplomatic relations.

Assad also said that he wanted France to play a special role, along with the United States, in the efforts to establish peace between Syria and Israel.

In late August, Sarkozy said he wanted to end Syria's isolation and intended to commit himself to "a different path, more risky but more promising, that of an open dialogue leading to tangible progress."

In February 2005, Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, froze diplomatic relations with Syria because of the suspected involvement of Syrian agents in the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, a close friend of Chirac's. (dpa)