Article

2005-10-06 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

US delegation Holding Secret Talks with Syria

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Posted by Fred 2005-10-06 00:00|| || Front Page|| [5 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 enuf talk, time for action

Posted by Captain America 2005-10-06 00:21|| 2005-10-06 00:21|| Front Page Top

#2 This offer sounds like it requires us to sell out either the Kurds, the Shi'a, or both.

Any idea who these "moderates" are, if they really exist?

Posted by Phil Fraering 2005-10-06 00:33|| 2005-10-06 00:33|| Front Page Top

#3 Dunno, but I'm impressed how by secret this is.

Posted by .com 2005-10-06 01:03|| 2005-10-06 01:03|| Front Page Top

#4 This smells, can't say why exactly. My BS meter is nearly pegged on this.
Maybe its because we're currently engaged in a proxy war with Syria and I don't believe that US policy requires "salvaging".

Posted by JerseyMike 2005-10-06 08:29|| 2005-10-06 08:29|| Front Page Top

#5 Any idea who these "moderates" are, if they really exist?

Anyone the State Department talks to is a "moderate".

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2005-10-06 08:38|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2005-10-06 08:38|| Front Page Top

#6 US delegation Holding Secret Talks with Syria

OK, now.
This is were we are in our proposal.
We agree to renovate the 'Saddam' model estate with 8 bedrooms, 6 baths, 1 kitchen, 1 kitchenette, a grand entrance way, a great room with vaulted ceiling, a formal dinning room to seat seventeen, an indoor pool and outdoor pool, a small putting green, a separate in-law cabana with amenities, a four car garage, four american made standard production automobiles of you choice, cable, tv, internet connection and a off-shore bank account with a stipends of 200k a year at the Dictators-r-Us estates outside of Pago Pago, Samoa. The lot will have an overview of the bay and the Estates offers 24 hour gated security, a tennis court, a 21 hole golf course, and grounds keeping. Now that is for yourself, your wife, your mistress, four of your immediate family and one set of in-laws, tradable as you desire. Anything more and you have to provide something more that is useful for us. Say, like the head of Al-Zarqawi. That would be a significant increase in your bargining capital.

Posted by Elmealing Hupealet7382 2005-10-06 09:51|| 2005-10-06 09:51|| Front Page Top

#7 The source said an unofficial US delegation has just returned from Damascus where it held talks with a number of Syrian decision makers during which it was able to obtain a Syrian offer of effective cooperation to achieve stability in Iraq in exchange for ensuring the Arabism of Iraq and not threatening stability inside Syria itself.

Anyone seen Sean Penn lately? He's "unofficial" enough, I guess in Syria's eyes.

Posted by BA 2005-10-06 11:14|| 2005-10-06 11:14|| Front Page Top

#8 given the state of play in Syria, outreach to elements within the Syrian military doesnt sound that far fetched to me. We wouldnt have to sell out the IRAQI Kurds OR the Shia - probably not even the Lebanese - wed just have to sell out the Syrian democrats, which isnt that big a deal, considering there probably arent many of them, and theyll probably lose anyway.

The Hariri investigation is gonna finger some really high up Syrian Baath, probably including close relatives of Baby Assad. At that point the s**t hits the fan in Syria = the enemies of the Baath (including the Muslim Brotherhood) will be in play -but so will different elements in the establishment, including the military. Having a little quiet help from the US might be quite useful in those festivities, and clamping down on the ratlines to Iraq might be a worthwhile tradeoff. I can see the outlines of a mutually desirable deal.

Posted by liberalhawk 2005-10-06 13:30|| 2005-10-06 13:30|| Front Page Top

#9 i mean if we could cut a deal with Muamar, why is a deal with Syria be out of the question?

Posted by liberalhawk 2005-10-06 13:32|| 2005-10-06 13:32|| Front Page Top

#10 LH: this is the part that bugs me:

"...in exchange for ensuring the Arabism of Iraq..."

It's right there in the report.

Posted by Phil Fraering 2005-10-06 13:57|| 2005-10-06 13:57|| Front Page Top

#11 Apart from the fact that this smells of spin, it would be interesting to contemplate pealing Syria away from Iran.

If there is substance to this report at all, it would explain the "Arabism" - suggest that the Arab majority background of Iraqis makes Iraq a more natural ally for Syria than the mullahs.

Posted by lotp 2005-10-06 14:09|| 2005-10-06 14:09|| Front Page Top

#12 pealing? peeling? ugh ... can't spell at the moment.

Posted by lotp 2005-10-06 14:10|| 2005-10-06 14:10|| Front Page Top

#13 Might the "moderates" be the group of "81 judges" the Neck just sacked? Nah, we're aaplying so much pressure, he wouldn't have the cajones for that. The vermin are squirmin'--I love it!

Posted by Asymmetrical Triangulation">Asymmetrical Triangulation 2005-10-06 15:02|| 2005-10-06 15:02|| Front Page Top

#14 The keystone of this article is in the last paragraph:
A US State Department official denied that the department knew of any talks with the Syrian Government but pointed out that the US Embassy in Damascus is open and the American diplomats are doing their job and the Syrian authorities can inform them of any real change in its policies. He stressed that no US official has talked at all about regime change in Syria and all that Washington is hoping for is a "change in the Syrian behavior toward specific issues that the Syrians know well."

This is a polite way of saying fix the problem or we will fix it for you.

Posted by RWV 2005-10-06 15:24|| 2005-10-06 15:24|| Front Page Top

#15 Unofficial delegation and retired military officers seeking Syria's help? Gen. Myers to the rescue? Sounds like they are circumventing any possibility of leaks or spies. Saving Assad's butt in exchange for help exterminating the infestation in real control may not be a bad idea.

Posted by Danielle 2005-10-06 16:56|| 2005-10-06 16:56|| Front Page Top

#16 " LH: this is the part that bugs me:

"...in exchange for ensuring the Arabism of Iraq..."

It's right there in the report"

We're gonna sell that horse anyway, as far its in our power to sell, to get the Sunnis on board - so its not in the constitution, it can be done in legislation once the Sunni arabs vote. But if the Pals can sell the same horse over and over again, why shouldnt we be able to?

Posted by liberalhawk 2005-10-06 17:19|| 2005-10-06 17:19|| Front Page Top

#17 "Yesterday we reported that Sergei won a green motorcycle in the lottery. We must make a correction. It was not Sergei but Andropov; it was not green but blue; it was not a motorcycle but a bicycle; and he did not win it, he stole it. Aside from this our report was substantially correct." Radio Yerevan

Posted by James">James 2005-10-06 17:29|| http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com]">[http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com] 2005-10-06 17:29|| Front Page Top

#18 Liberalhawk, consider the difference between Christianity (as divided as it is) being the largest religion in the US and some sort of law or treaty "ensuring the Christianity of the US."

We have attempted to set up a situation where _all three_ of the major ethnic groups must approve of the constitution before it becomes law.

One of those groups is not Arab, and another while Arab is of a religious minority that is uniformly disenfranchised throughout the Arab world.

Posted by Phil Fraering 2005-10-06 17:43|| 2005-10-06 17:43|| Front Page Top

#19 all this speculation for wishful thinking from aawsat.com? No agenda there....jeebus

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2005-10-06 19:23|| 2005-10-06 19:23|| Front Page Top

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