European shares closed higher on Friday, despite investors' caution ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting next week. The pan-European FTSE Eurofirst 300 close provisionally 0.2 percent higher at 1,250.08 points.
European and Asian equity markets were pressured as investors booked profits after the recent market run-up, and as caution set in that the Fed may announce a tapering of its $85-billion-a-month asset-purchase program next Wednesday.
Meanwhile, worries over Syria lingered as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held open talks on disarming Syria's chemical weapons programs. In remarks after Thursday's meeting, Kerry said pledges of Syria's regime to give up its chemical arms were "simply not enough."
European markets
On the FTSE, which closed down 0.1 percent, miners Glencore Xstrata, Anglo American, Randgold Resources and Rio Tinto were among the worst performers as falling gold prices weighed on the sector.
(Read more: Gold price: 'Last hurrah' may be on its way)
Shares of German healthcare group Fresenius closed up around 3.6 percent after the firm announced it would buy 43 hospitals from Rhoen-Klinikum, whose shares closed up 11.4 [ercemt.
Social media messaging site Twitter remained in the spotlight after it filed confidentially for an initial public offering (IPO) of stock. Goldman Sachs is the lead underwriter, sources told CNBC. Shares of social media companies like Facebook and LinkedIn ticked slightly higher after Twitter disclosed it had filed.
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