Syria's overture to Iraq seen as signal to US
Source: Reuters
By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent DAMASCUS, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The restoration of Syrian-Iraqi diplomatic ties signals a policy shift by Damascus, which had earlier insisted U.S. troops leave Iraq first, and seemed designed to improve prospects for dialogue with the West. But the killing on Tuesday of anti-Syrian Lebanese Christian politician Pierre Gemayel could poison moves for any early Syrian reconciliation with Washington and its European allies. Even before that killing, U.S.-Syrian relations were frosty and the European Union was refusing to complete a trade agreement seen as vital to stuttering Syrian economic reform efforts. Western pressure on Syria intensified after last year's killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Damascus denied any involvement, but the outcry forced it to withdraw its troops from its neighbour. Disagreement over Lebanon remains a key obstacle to any improvement in relations, diplomats say. The United States also faults Syria for supporting Palestinian militants in Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas -- groups Damascus praises for resisting what it sees as a U.S.-Israeli quest for regional hegemony. Western capitals see Syria's overture to Iraq as a positive step, but it remains uncertain how far it will help stem the Sunni Muslim insurgency that Iraq and the United States have accused Damascus of fomenting since the 2003 invasion. "Even if the Syrians pulled out all the stops in Iraq and used all their influence, would it make a difference?" asked one European diplomat. "It would not stop the violence, especially the sectarian killings. Talking to Syria is not a magic bullet." U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday urged Syria and Iran to be "part of the solution" in Iraq after talk in Washington and some European capitals of trying to engage the two countries, rather than isolating and punishing them. U.S. President George W. Bush has kept his distance from such a sharp change of tack, without ruling out tactical changes in an Iraq policy that is failing to stem a slide toward civil war. Foreign Minister Walid Moualem, the first Syrian minister to visit Iraq since the invasion, agreed with his Iraqi counterpart to reopen embassies and pursue security cooperation. The accord ends a rift dating back a quarter of a century when Syria backed Iran in its 1980-88 war with Iraq. Hostility between the Baathist rivals eased in the 1990s and trade with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, then under U.N. sanctions, boomed, but the U.S.-led occupation brought fresh strains. SYRIAN ROLE IN IRAQ Baghdad and Washington have long accused Syria of letting foreign Islamist militants cross its border with Iraq and of lending support to Iraqi Sunnis fighting U.S. and Iraqi troops. Syria says it does its best to control the border and blames the United States for the instability and bloodletting in Iraq. But in its agreement with Iraq, it has dropped its insistence on a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, acknowledging it is up to the Baghdad government how long they stay. Syrian analyst Samir Altaqi, head of the Orient Centre for Studies, said Damascus could play a useful role in Iraq. "It's a rare acceptable broker for all the factions," he said, arguing that Syrian influence had helped Iraq to hold its 2005 elections when Sunni insurgents did not disrupt voting. Nayef Hawatmeh, Damascus-based leader of the leftist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the renewal of Syrian-Iraq ties was a message to Washington. "It's a good sign to the Americans that Syria is ready to deal with Iraq and with the Americans for the security and stability of Iraq," Hawatmeh told Reuters. The United States does not believe Syria has dropped its support for Iraqi insurgents but is watching closely to see if its rapprochement with Baghdad or its tentative dialogue with some European countries will have any practical effect. Syria had seen recent visits by EU officials, including the foreign ministers of Spain and Norway and an adviser to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as signs that its isolation was crumbling, but Gemayel's killing -- which Damascus has condemned -- will not hasten its rehabilitation.
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