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Iraq security drives US-Syria talks
Secretary of State Rice met in Egypt Thursday with Syrian Foreign Minister Moalem, who called their discussion 'frank and constructive.'
from the May 4, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
No high-level contact since 2005
The US had rebuffed any high-level contact with the Syrians since the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a Beirut car bombing. The US has sought to ostracize Syria over what it says was a Syrian hand in the assassination – a claim backed up by a UN inquiry – though Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has denied his country's involvement.
Just last month, the White House harshly rebuked House Leader Nancy Pelosi for meeting with Mr. Assad during a Middle East tour. That followed the administration's cool reception of the Iraq Study Group's December report, which concluded that the US should embark on a robust diplomatic initiative, including Iran and Syria, to address Iraq's deteriorating political, economic, and social conditions.
Until recently, Rice had rejected calls for direct contact, repeating her position that the Syrians "know what they have to do" to help Iraq and avoid isolation. The US accuses Syria of lax border controls that let foreign jihadist fighters enter Iraq.
One factor in the administration's about-face on contact with Syria is the role Syria would play in any relaunch of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Iran may be more important than Syria in terms of Iraq, but Syria would play a key role in any Middle East peace effort.
Since the start of the year, Rice has put new emphasis on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She was to take part in an informal meeting on peace efforts Friday. Syria was expected to join that meeting.
Another motivation behind the contact with Syria could be the idea of splitting it off from Iran, as suggested by some US analysts and Arab officials. Syria's ties with Iran have strengthened in recent years, especially as the West's efforts to isolate Damascus over the Hariri assassination have grown. But some Arab countries believe a less-radical Syria is more open to working with major powers, especially since it too wants something out of any Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
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