Syria welcomes return of U.S. ambassador

Said Dhaher
For Al-Shorfa.com
2009-07-07

In a Damascus cafe June 2, a woman smoking a water pipe watches an interview with U.S. President Barack Obama on television. Syrians pin much hope on renewed U.S. links with Damascus. (Reuters/Khaled al-Hariri)

Months of speculation about the return of the U.S. ambassador to Damascus after a four-year absence ended with President Barack Obama’s June 23 decision to send an envoy to Syria. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said, “This decision reflects the administration’s recognition of Syria’s important role in the region.”

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad assumed that Obama would move quickly to send an envoy to Damascus to fulfil his promise to turn a new page in U.S.-Syrian relations, soured by the Bush presidency. He also expressed hope that Washington would play a pivotal role in the Middle East peace process. “The presence of an ambassador would be important”, Al-Assad said. The pro-government Syrian daily Al-Watan commented that the arrival of the ambassador “will bring closure to one of the most significant and nastiest political standoffs of modern times, that between Damascus and Washington.”

“From the moment President Obama arrived in the White House, the tension has been unwinding. Ever since the president appointed George Mitchell as his special envoy in the Middle East, the State Department has been preparing for the return of its ambassador to Damascus, because Mitchell cannot be expected to spend his time rotating in ever diminishing circles. That could only lead to a political vacuum”, the paper said.

Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman described the ambassador’s return as “an important step, despite deep differences with Damascus over our very different approaches to Hezbollah.” He added, “Obama has made it very clear that we want to work with Syria.”

Recent signs of détente in U.S.-Syrian relations include visits to Damascus by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, Assistant Secretary Feltman, a number of congressional delegations and Commander of the U.S. Central Command Gen David Petraeus.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, when Damascus refused to cooperate at any level on security issues with Washington. In 2004, Washington imposed trade penalties after accusing Syria of supporting terrorism. The 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri led to the recall of the last U.S. ambassador.

Source:

Bookmarking

Please comment on this article so that we can improve the experience of viewing this website.