The city of Quneitra is preserved in devastation as attempts to improve Syria's relations with its neighbours and the US stall
Simon Tisdall
The Guardian, Friday 27 November 2009
(Left: Golan Hospital; click on photo to enlarge)
"..... But Syrian officials have complained in recent weeks that Obama's words are not matched by actions – and that a rare opportunity may be missed. The deputy prime minister, Abdullah Dardari, warned that Washington's apparent disinclination to normalise relations had raised doubts about the "seriousness" of Obama's commitment to peacemaking.
Speaking in Paris during talks with the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, Assad was similarly critical. So far, talks with US officials had not got beyond "an exchange of views", he said. "The weak point is the American sponsor [of peace talks]. What Obama said about peace was a good thing. We agree with him on the principles. But what's the action plan? The sponsor has to draw up an action plan."
Syria's overall positive response to French and EU attempts to improve ties is one of several factors that has encouraged a belief that Assad's strategic calculus may be shifting. A recent rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, including a visit to Damascus by King Abdullah, has been matched by the signing of a range of bilateral co-operation agreements with Nato member Turkey, a country with which Syria almost went to war a decade ago......
Simon Tisdall
The Guardian, Friday 27 November 2009
(Left: Golan Hospital; click on photo to enlarge)
"..... But Syrian officials have complained in recent weeks that Obama's words are not matched by actions – and that a rare opportunity may be missed. The deputy prime minister, Abdullah Dardari, warned that Washington's apparent disinclination to normalise relations had raised doubts about the "seriousness" of Obama's commitment to peacemaking.
Speaking in Paris during talks with the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, Assad was similarly critical. So far, talks with US officials had not got beyond "an exchange of views", he said. "The weak point is the American sponsor [of peace talks]. What Obama said about peace was a good thing. We agree with him on the principles. But what's the action plan? The sponsor has to draw up an action plan."
Syria's overall positive response to French and EU attempts to improve ties is one of several factors that has encouraged a belief that Assad's strategic calculus may be shifting. A recent rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, including a visit to Damascus by King Abdullah, has been matched by the signing of a range of bilateral co-operation agreements with Nato member Turkey, a country with which Syria almost went to war a decade ago......
And crucially, perhaps, Obama's Syrian overtures have received scant encouragement from Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's hawkish prime minister. He says Israel will never retreat from the 1974 line. "The Golan will never be divided again, the Golan will never fall again, the Golan will remain in our hands," he said in February. Israeli commentators speculate that Netanyahu, rather than contemplating peace, is preparing for war in the spring against Iran and Hezbollah. That would once again place Syria, and the devastated city of Quneitra, squarely in the firing line."
No comments:
Post a Comment