Assad has clearly been encouraged by the positive signals emanating from Washington underscoring the new administration’s eagerness to start ‘afresh’ in the Middle East and build peace by winning new friends and allies.
President Obama’s promise to engage with nations that have been at odds with the United States has set the ball rolling. The new US leader is also hoping to break new ground on the Palestine-Israel peace process and dispatched his special envoy to the region in his first week in office. And ensuring Syria’s involvement and cooperation is essential to any progress on this front.
The US administration that has already reached out to Iran offering direct talks is also hoping to wean Damascus away from Teheran.
This approach is a clear and welcome departure from the Bush administration’s hardline policy of isolating Syria by imposing sanctions and constantly accusing it of fostering terrorism in Iraq, Israel and Lebanon. Syria, which was also part of President Bush’s axis of evil, has reasons to respond enthusiastically to Washington’s overtures. The US severed its relations with Syria in 2005 accusing Damascus of being behind the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri — an accusation that Syria denies.
So the decision on the part of the Obama administration to send in a high-powered delegation this week under John Kerry, Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, to Damascus should restart the US-Syria diplomatic engagement.
The move comes weeks after British Secretary David Miliband’s epoch-making visit to Syria, reiterating London’s commitment to bring Damascus on board for exploring peace in the region. A series of diplomatic moves on the part of Syria have also helped it demonstrate its sincerity and commitment to peace in the region.
And they include secret talks with Israel with the help of Turkey, restoration of diplomatic relations with Lebanon, opening up of a mission in Baghdad, and striking a balance in relations with Iran and the West.
Moreover, the West, too, has come to realise that Syria’s influence over Hezbollah and Palestinian groups, and the strategic axis of being the only Arab ally of Iran, cannot be underestimated for long.
It goes without saying that the immediate beneficiary of US-Syria rapprochement should be the peace process in Middle East, which is on the rocks after Israel’s 22-day war on Gaza.
No comments:
Post a Comment