Soccer Dad

Syrian in the u.s. for talks

The New York Times reports that Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad has arrived in Washington for talks with State Department officials. Dr. Mekdad was pleased with the honor and said:

Mr. Mekdad praised President Obama for his readiness to plunge into the Middle East thicket, and for what he said was a more balanced approach to the region than that of President George W. Bush, whom he accused of encouraging extremist elements with his unstinting support of Israel.

"We think the tarnished image of the United States under President Bush is now getting better," he said. "President Obama believes in dialogue for solving international problems, which we welcome."

Since shortly after taking office, Mr. Obama has sought to thaw relations with Syria, long chilled by its support for Islamic militant groups and American suspicions of its involvement in the 2005 assassination of the Lebanese political leader Rafik Hariri.

Syria's Sana news agency doesn't have much.

Not everyone sees this as progress. According to a liberal Arab website (translation by MEMRI):

Columnist for the liberal website Elaph 'Aziz Al-Haj wrote: "The policy adopted by the Bush administration in dealing with the September 11 [attacks] has been subjected to a slander campaign, in which Obama and his party have played a significant role. This campaign is still being waged with frenetic energy... We have warned time and again about the danger of extending a hand to enemies in the name of openness and dialogue, while disregarding the victims of these elements or regimes - the regimes with which Obama seems to be so eager to consort at any price. Those who promote extremism, terrorism, and international tension interpret as weakness Obama's policy of seeking rapprochement [with his enemies] instead of brandishing a truncheon in their faces.

"The international tribunal for the assassination of [former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq] Al-Hariri [has been sacrificed] on the altar of U.S. openness towards Syria. Today, we see that [Rafiq Al-Hariri's son Sa'd] Al-Hariri cannot form a government, even though his coalition won the elections. Would it be an exaggeration to place some responsibility [for this] on the U.S. administration, which is extending a hand to Syria and Iran?

The Times reports the optimistic view the that the Obama administrations outreach to Syria will draw Syria away from Iran. However Barry Rubin recently wrote why that wasn't happening.

Watching the gradual concessions made by the West to the Iran-Syria bloc, and its evident fear of confronting them, Assad stated that he was confident the international community will accept Iran and Syria more than it had done in the past.

Note also that the two countries are very consciously coordinating strategy in a war against Western interests and the relatively more moderate Arab regimes, a conflict that Western governments don't even perceive as existing:

"Iran and Syria are on the same front, and any political event is an opportunity which must be used at the best way possible while helping one another."

Iranian Spiritual Guide (and the real leader of the country) Ali Khamenei agreed: "The result of this unity is evident in the Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq issues and also in the entire region." The tide is in favor of the Resistance, he added, referring to the combination of Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hizballah, Iraqi insurgents, and other members of the radical alliance.

Once upon a time Jeffrey Feltman was apparently tough with the Syrians. I have no idea what the contents of his talks with Mekdad were, but given the pleased Syria response to the talks, it doesn't appear that he was especially tough. It looks more and more, that the Obama administration is seeking to join Europe in rewarding Syria for its non-existant cooperation.

Posted by SoccerDad at October 5, 2009 5:34 AM