Syria Today | Kerry in Damascus: “real cooperation” be tween Syria and the US possible

Kerry in Damascus: “real cooperation” be tween Syria and the US possible

US Senator John Kerry said there are possibilities for “real cooperation” between Syria and the US following a “frank and open” meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on February 21.

Following Kerry’s meeting with Assad, Syria Today and a number of local media outlets attended a round table discussion with the former US presidential candidate at the American Cultural Centre in Damascus on February 22. The House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Howard Berman was also present. During the meeting, Kerry said he was encouraged by what he called a “very long, frank, candid and open” discussion with Assad.

“I believe deeply that this is an important moment for change,” Kerry said. “It’s a moment of potential transformation in the relationship, not just between the United States and Syria, but the relationships in the region.”

US-Syrian relations, which have long been tense, nosedived under the former Republican administration headed by George Bush over Syria’s opposition to the Iraq war, its alliance with Iran and support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah party and the Palestinian faction Hamas, groups Washington labels terrorist organisations but which Damascus considers legitimate national resistance movements. The Bush administration also repeatedly accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq.

US-Syrian relations deteriorated further after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005. Some Lebanese groups accused Syria of involvement in the assassination, prompting the US to recall its ambassador from Damascus. Syria has always denied the accusations.

Referring to his meeting with Assad, Kerry said Syria had communicated a willingness to push forward with the regional peace process and cooperate on issues of mutual concern.
“What I heard was a great willingness to cooperate on issues relating to Iraq; the US and Syria have mutual concerns on this matter,” he said. “I also heard strong words about hopes for Lebanon and the possibility of creating stability, as well as the peace process with respect to Israel and the Palestinians.

Kerry acknowledged that significant points of disagreement exist between Syria and the US. Speaking in Lebanon on February 18, the Massachusetts senator repeated calls for Syria to disarm Hezbollah, respect the independence of Lebanon and help “resolve issues” in Palestine.

Despite these points of difference, Kerry said he believed a more constructive relationship could now be formed between Syria and a new US administration committed to regional engagement.

“While we will disagree on some issues for sure, I will take back to Washington with me everything I have heard here [in Damascus],” he said. “I will be surprised if we don’t begin to see some energy resulting from these discussions. When I go back to Washington I intend to make sure things happen.”

He said there was a “big difference” between his most recent visit and his past trips to Damascus, carried out under the former Bush administration.

“When I went back [to the US] after former visits I encountered an unwillingness by the administration to move forward,” he said. “But now there is a willingness to move.” He added that recent developments in the Middle East had “created an urgency” to move forward with the peace process.

At the round table discussion in Damascus, Berman said he was leaving Syria with high hopes for the future. He also said that he believed the US should engage Syria without preconditions.

“There are many things that Syria can do to enhance that engagement,” he said. “For me engagement is the strategy for solving certain problems. It’s not about solving problems in order to get to the strategy.”

Kerry, who lost the 2004 presidential election to Bush, now chairs the Senate’s powerful Foreign Relations Committee. His visit to Damascus followed that of fellow US Senator Benjamin Cardin on January 18. Kerry is the most senior US official to visit Damascus since Nancy Pelosi in 2007.

In an earlier US visit, Congressman Adam Smith met with Assad on January 31. Smith also serves as the chairman of the Terrorism and Capabilities sub-committee of the Armed Services Committee. He was appointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence the day after returning to America from Syria.