Syria-Israel Peace Push Gets French Boost

This report was written by CBS News' George Baghdadi, traveling with the Syrian President in Paris.

Basher Al-Assad, treated to a red-carpet welcome at the Elysee, joined more than 40 leaders including Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for a Paris summit on Sunday to launch a new Mediterranean union and cheered yesterday's traditional Bastille Day parade from the Champs-Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe.

"Our aim is to get nations to sow the seeds of peace instead of hating one another and waging war. It is an historic achievement to have brought everyone to one place, around one table," Sarkozy told the conference.

The Syrian and Israeli leaders have never been closer, though there was no handshake, not even an eye contact between the two arch foes.

"We are not seeking symbols," Assad said on French television, adding he avoided the handshake because the two nations are still only in indirect peace talks.

"Once direct talks were launched, it could take as little as six months to reach a final deal," he added.

After eight years of stalemate and tension, the two countries announced in May that they had launched a bid to end one of the region's longest-running disputes through Turkish mediation. Three set of indirect talks had already gained progress, according to both sides.

The last talks direct between the Israel and Syria under U.S. sponsorship broke down eight years ago and Washington has been reluctant to re-engage with Damascus because of its role in Lebanon and close ties with Iran.

Ordinary Syrians are happy. The prestigious welcome for their president in Paris is an appealing payback and a crystal-clear sign that U.S. attempts to detach their country from the global scene have floundered. Bashar - perhaps for the first time in a long time - is enjoying a celebrity not prompted by fresh accusations of assassination or regional disorder.

The young leader, 42, grinned from ear to ear as he waved to the crowd of expatriate Syrians living in France, who waited for hours near the Intercontinental Hotel to greet him with his elegant wife, Asma.

"This is France that we would like to know and we did hear of in the past. Sarkozy has proved he wants to lead now a more balanced Arab policy. He has taken another path, away from his predecessor Jacques Chirac, and has better advanced to the cause of peace and prosperity in the Middle East," said a 24-year old student, waving a Syrian flag.

"Paris's absence was absolutely against its own interest, too. Sarkozy has realized it was not France which helped broker the Doha agreement that ended the political stalemate in Lebanon. It is also Turkey - not Paris- that has helped the jumpstart of the talks between Damascus and Tel Aviv," he added.

The opening to Syria is especially interesting at a time when the fourth round of indirect negotiations is set at the end of July since he could add France's weight as a facilitator.

"Sarkozy's invitation to Assad is a very fortunate move, which sends a positive message to the seekers of a just and comprehensive peace settlement in the region," said Fadwa Omran, a 29-year-old girl, who came in from Strasburg with her two kids to salute Assad in the French capital.

Syrian official sources told CBS News that Sarkozy, whose country heads the rotating presidency of the European Union, was scheduled to fly to Damascus on September 8th to further ties with a country that was a former French colony. Syria may represent Paris' greatest possible sphere of influence in the Middle East.

"This is a very good time for Damascus. Seemingly, the perception of Syria started to change, from problem-maker to problem-solver," said Sami Mubayed, a political analyst and a professor at a Syrian university.