French President Jacques Chirac and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad spoke by telephone Sunday about the Middle East situation, an Assad spokesman said.
Gebran Kourieh did not provide any other details.
Syria has taken a hardline position faced with the recent Israeli-Palestinian fighting and has called on the Palestinians to reject a compromise peace plan proposed by outgoing US President Bill Clinton.
Peace talks between Syria and Israel have been at a standstill for nearly a year, with a dispute over the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.
France, the former colonial power in Syria, is ending a six-month term as head of the European Union -- DAMASCUS (AFP)
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