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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syria Demands Unity Government after Elections, Feltman Replies: This is a Lebanese Issue |
| 2009-03-11 |
| Damascus has reportedly told U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman that it wants a national unity government following Lebanese elections. Feltman replied: This is a Lebanese issue. Pan-Arab daily Al Hayat on Tuesday quoted high-ranking political sources as saying that Damascus "took the initiative" to discuss Lebanon during weekend talks with Feltman and fellow envoy Daniel Shapiro. The sources said Syrian officials conveyed to the U.S. delegation their country's keenness on holding Lebanese parliamentary elections on time. This was okay. But when it came to renewing their call for the establishment of a Lebanese national unity government following the June 7 elections, Feltman allegedly told the Syrian officials: "This is a Lebanese issue." The sources said the U.S. delegation discussed with Syrian officials the "principles of holding elections without Syrian meddling, not more." They said Hizbullah and AMAL Movement leaders have recently been emphasizing the formation of a national unity government following Lebanese elections. On Saturday Feltman and Shapiro held four hours of talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and other officials. "What we did is give the Syrians the opportunity to raise their vision about the bilateral relationship, their concerns, and we were able to do the same," Feltman said following a series of meetings with Lebanese political and religious leaders on Sunday. "Talking to people is not a reward. We talk to people in order to solve a problem," he added. He also sought to ease Lebanese concerns about a U.S.-Syria rapprochement saying: "There is no contradiction between a strong support to Lebanon and an attempt to solve a problem through dialogue with Syria." On Saturday, Feltman emerged from the talks with Muallem, saying Syria can be a "constructive" Mideast force. Feltman said he and Shapiro held the "view that Syria can play an important and constructive role in the region," in a conference call with reporters in Washington after with Muallem and other Syrian officials. "We found a lot of common ground today," Feltman said without elaborating. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Morons. The Baker precedent clearly establishes the ground-rules for engagement with the Ba'ath Syrians: tacit acknowledgment of the non-existence of a sovereign nation-state between Damascus and the Mediterranean Sea. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2009-03-11 10:09 |