Madrid  - Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos denied Wednesday that he is a candidate for heading the European Union's foreign policy arm.

"I am very happy to be Spanish foreign minister," Moratinos, a former European envoy to the Middle East, told Cadena Ser radio.

"It is true I am talked about (as future EU foreign policy chief), but I am not a candidate and do not want the job," Moratinos said.

Damascus  - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos in Damascus on Wednesday to discuss bilateral relations and regional peace prospects, media reports said.

Al-Assad and Moratinos discussed the growing relationship between Syria and the European Union (EU) as well as Spain's efforts to revive the peace process in the region, the official SANA news agency reported.

"The two sides stressed that the current stage demands genuine political will to make decisions and guarantee their implementation," SANA reported.

Madrid/Gibraltar  - Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos was on Tuesday preparing to make a brief visit to Gibraltar, becoming the first Spanish cabinet minister to officially enter the disputed enclave since Britain took control of it in 1704.

Moratinos was to meet British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Gibraltar Chief Minister Peter Caruana to discuss financial, maritime and judicial cooperation.

Barcelona  - Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos on Monday urged US president elect Barack Obama to "immediately get involved" in efforts to end the Gaza conflict after being sworn in.

The situation in Gaza should be Obama's first foreign policy priority, advised Moratinos, who helped to negotiate the ceasefire in Gaza.

The former European Union Middle East envoy expressed trust that the new US administration would take "urgent" action on the Gaza Strip.

Madrid  - Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos on Wednesday denied press reports that Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang had cancelled a visit to Spain because King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero declined to meet with him.

The tiny oil-rich central African country had not requested such meetings, Moratinos said, explaining that no plans had been made for Obiang to visit Spain.