Brussels, 13/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Commission and Syria will be resuming their negotiations on a Euro-Mediterranean association agreement between the Union and this country. This 7th session, that will continue on Wednesday, should give fresh impetus to the talks that have so far proved somewhat laborious because of the misunderstandings and divergence in the aims pursued by the parties (see EUROPE of 25 April). Negotiations with Syria are also "highly complex because this is a country that has not yet made the transition from a largely state-controlled economy to a market economy", it is said in Brussels. It is likely that the Syrian team, headed by the Minister for Planning, Issam El-Zaïm, will insist on the need to gear the Community offer more to support of reforms and modernisation of the country's economic structures, as is the case for Algeria, rather than to the aim of creating a free trade area by 2010. "A Syrian offer is on the table", said the Commission's spokesman, adding that, on the European side, "our aims are clear".