Syria Interested in Relationship with US

by Eyck Freymann
The Jerusalem Post reports that Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad has expressed interest in renewing diplomatic ties with the United States. US-Syria relations, which have been strained or nonexistent since arguments during the Reagan presidency, now appear to be making a comeback. International observers suggest that this is an important step towards multilateral resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The Israelis have refused to return the Golan Heights, a large area east of Lebanon seized from the Syrians during the 1967 war. In response, Syria has become an enemy of Israel and in recent months has been moving towards a strategic partnership with Iran.

Obama (and, indeed, the entire western world) are focused on, in Nicholas Kristof's words, "peeling Syria away from Iran." Success is not yet on the horizon: Al-Assad made it clear that Syria would not rescind its ties to Iran. However, relative silence from Syria over the Gaza conflict suggests that the Arab nation is interested in a peaceful resolution.

For years I have held that Syria should be the focal point of America's negotiations in the Middle East. The nation is home to millions of Iraq war refugees and the origin of many of Lebanon's religious radicals. It is not in Syria's interest to see conflict in Iraq, and violent conflict with Israel from any group or organization threatens Syrian security. It should therefore be a primary objective of the US to normalize relations with this nation and to give a Muslim country on the fence a tug in the right direction.