The Wall Street Journal
American Diplomats Meet Syrians in Sign of Thaw
American Diplomats Meet Syrians in Sign of Thaw
Damascus Official Sees Growing Bond; U.S. Lists Concerns
Jay Solomon
SEPTEMBER 30, 2008
NEW YORK -- Senior American and Syrian diplomats held a series of meetings over the past week here, a sign of a potential thaw between the U.S. and a country that President George W. Bush has alleged is a principal sponsor of international terrorism.
A State Department official said the U.S. used the talks as an opportunity to list its grievances with Syria. But the diplomats also discussed Washington's support for peace talks between Syria and Israel over the future of the disputed Golan Heights region, participants in the talks said. The two sides also talked about Damascus's role in the security situations in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
"I consider this a good progress in the American position," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in New York Monday. "We agreed to continue this dialogue."
Mr. Moallem met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and held a more-detailed dialogue Monday with the State Department's Mideast point man, Assistant Secretary of State David Welch, in New York.
The Bush administration has been grappling with the divisive question of whether to engage Syria, as well as Iran and North Korea. U.S. officials stressed the talks with Mr. Moallem were used to raise concerns about Syrian human-rights abuses and support for terrorism, as well as its strategic ties with Iran and other issues. "The international community still awaits a credible demonstration of Syria's willingness to renounce their sponsorship of terrorism," a State Department official said.
The White House largely froze its ties to Damascus in 2005 after the murder of Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. A subsequent U.N. investigation linked the murder to Syrian President Bashar Assad's security forces. Syria has denied any involvement.
The Bush administration also imposed financial sanctions on Damascus over its support of militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas and its alleged assistance in helping foreign fighters enter Iraq.
The U.S. says Syria must do more to improve regional security.
In recent months, these efforts to isolate Syria have foundered, as even Washington allies such as Israel and France said they viewed Damascus as key to stabilizing the Middle East.
Israel has engaged in indirect peace talks with Syria. Turkey brokered the talks, which have been aimed in part at wooing Syria away from its alliance with Iran.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Damascus earlier this month as part of his government's push to win Syrian support for peace efforts in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
After Monday's meeting, the State Department official reiterated U.S. concerns, saying Syria needs to "do more to end the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq and of weapons into Lebanon."
Mr. Moallem put a positive spin on the talks, saying Syria's increased engagement with the U.S. underscores Washington's recognition of Damascus's role in promoting stability in Iraq and Lebanon. "The situation in the Middle East is improving," he said.
The Syrian diplomat said Damascus is in the process of sending ambassadors to Iraq and Lebanon and is seeking to step up economic ties with both nations. He said Damascus would seek to improve counterterrorism cooperation with the West, particularly after Saturday's bombing of a Syrian military installation in Damascus, which killed 17 people.
"There are Islamic extremists coming over our borders," Mr. Moallem said. Terrorism has "spread and increased because of a lack of cooperation and a failure to tackle its roots."
Serious obstacles remain to normalizing U.S.-Syrian ties. President Bush told the U.N. General Assembly last week that "a few nations -- regimes like Syria and Iran -- continue to sponsor terrorism."
Last year, the Bush administration supported an Israeli missile strike on an alleged Syrian nuclear facility near the Euphrates River and called for an investigation into the site by the U.N.'s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Mr. Moallem said the bombed site was a non-nuclear military facility and that the IAEA had informed Damascus that it found no evidence of a nuclear program inside Syria.
The U.S. has pushed for an international tribunal to try those implicated in the murder of Mr. Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, and has alleged that Damascus has impeded the U.N.'s probe. Mr. Moallem said the tribunal was an issue between Lebanon and the U.N. and that Syria "has nothing to do with it."
The U.S. also says Syria must do more to "end human-rights violations against Syrian dissidents," the State Department official said after Monday's meeting. Syria denies any such violations.
Syria's foreign minister said his country is looking forward to closer ties with the next U.S. administration, whether it is headed by Barack Obama or John McCain.
"Unfortunately, [the Bush administration's position toward Syria] shifted too late," Mr. Moallem said. "But I hope this shift will have its implications for the future administration."
Jay Solomon
SEPTEMBER 30, 2008
NEW YORK -- Senior American and Syrian diplomats held a series of meetings over the past week here, a sign of a potential thaw between the U.S. and a country that President George W. Bush has alleged is a principal sponsor of international terrorism.
A State Department official said the U.S. used the talks as an opportunity to list its grievances with Syria. But the diplomats also discussed Washington's support for peace talks between Syria and Israel over the future of the disputed Golan Heights region, participants in the talks said. The two sides also talked about Damascus's role in the security situations in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
"I consider this a good progress in the American position," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in New York Monday. "We agreed to continue this dialogue."
Mr. Moallem met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and held a more-detailed dialogue Monday with the State Department's Mideast point man, Assistant Secretary of State David Welch, in New York.
The Bush administration has been grappling with the divisive question of whether to engage Syria, as well as Iran and North Korea. U.S. officials stressed the talks with Mr. Moallem were used to raise concerns about Syrian human-rights abuses and support for terrorism, as well as its strategic ties with Iran and other issues. "The international community still awaits a credible demonstration of Syria's willingness to renounce their sponsorship of terrorism," a State Department official said.
The White House largely froze its ties to Damascus in 2005 after the murder of Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. A subsequent U.N. investigation linked the murder to Syrian President Bashar Assad's security forces. Syria has denied any involvement.
The Bush administration also imposed financial sanctions on Damascus over its support of militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas and its alleged assistance in helping foreign fighters enter Iraq.
The U.S. says Syria must do more to improve regional security.
In recent months, these efforts to isolate Syria have foundered, as even Washington allies such as Israel and France said they viewed Damascus as key to stabilizing the Middle East.
Israel has engaged in indirect peace talks with Syria. Turkey brokered the talks, which have been aimed in part at wooing Syria away from its alliance with Iran.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Damascus earlier this month as part of his government's push to win Syrian support for peace efforts in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
After Monday's meeting, the State Department official reiterated U.S. concerns, saying Syria needs to "do more to end the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq and of weapons into Lebanon."
Mr. Moallem put a positive spin on the talks, saying Syria's increased engagement with the U.S. underscores Washington's recognition of Damascus's role in promoting stability in Iraq and Lebanon. "The situation in the Middle East is improving," he said.
The Syrian diplomat said Damascus is in the process of sending ambassadors to Iraq and Lebanon and is seeking to step up economic ties with both nations. He said Damascus would seek to improve counterterrorism cooperation with the West, particularly after Saturday's bombing of a Syrian military installation in Damascus, which killed 17 people.
"There are Islamic extremists coming over our borders," Mr. Moallem said. Terrorism has "spread and increased because of a lack of cooperation and a failure to tackle its roots."
Serious obstacles remain to normalizing U.S.-Syrian ties. President Bush told the U.N. General Assembly last week that "a few nations -- regimes like Syria and Iran -- continue to sponsor terrorism."
Last year, the Bush administration supported an Israeli missile strike on an alleged Syrian nuclear facility near the Euphrates River and called for an investigation into the site by the U.N.'s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Mr. Moallem said the bombed site was a non-nuclear military facility and that the IAEA had informed Damascus that it found no evidence of a nuclear program inside Syria.
The U.S. has pushed for an international tribunal to try those implicated in the murder of Mr. Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, and has alleged that Damascus has impeded the U.N.'s probe. Mr. Moallem said the tribunal was an issue between Lebanon and the U.N. and that Syria "has nothing to do with it."
The U.S. also says Syria must do more to "end human-rights violations against Syrian dissidents," the State Department official said after Monday's meeting. Syria denies any such violations.
Syria's foreign minister said his country is looking forward to closer ties with the next U.S. administration, whether it is headed by Barack Obama or John McCain.
"Unfortunately, [the Bush administration's position toward Syria] shifted too late," Mr. Moallem said. "But I hope this shift will have its implications for the future administration."
