British premier Tony Blair dispatched his senior foreign policy adviser to Damascus this week to press Syria to play a role in bringing stability to Iraq, officials confirmed Wednesday.
Nigel Sheinwald, a high-ranking foreign policy adviser and envoy, met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday in the two countries' first official talks since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, said Nicola Davies, the British Embassy spokeswoman in Damascus.
According to the report, Blair wished to use these talks to test whether Damascus was serious about seeking to play a constructive role in the Middle East peace negotiations with Israel.
Blair's Downing Street office said the British leader would visit the Middle East himself later this year.
