Last update - 00:00 31/12/2007
Syrian-run media calls on U.S. to launch direct dialogue promptly
By The Associated Press
State-run media in Syria called on the United States on Monday to begin a direct dialogue with Damascus, a day after an influential U.S. lawmaker said Washington could bridge the gap between Israel and Syria.
U.S. Senator Arlen Specter held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Sunday and said the Arab leader was ready to make peace with Israel but needed Washington's help.
The Syrian state-run newspaper Al-Thawra called on the U.S. on Monday to build on the recent Mideast peace conference it sponsored in Annapolis, Maryland, by reaching out directly to Damascus.
"Washington should be the most daring party to relaunch overt negotiations without hesitation," the paper said. "The U.S. has a big role, which is still the most capable role to push the peace process forward."
In 2000, formal U.S.-sponsored Israel-Syria talks neared agreement but broke down over final border and peace arrangements. Syria demands the full return of the Golan Heights, the territory seized by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.
The relationship between the U.S. and Syria deteriorated after the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a car bombing. Washington pulled its ambassador out of the country over suspected Syrian involvement in the attack, which Damascus denies.
The U.S. has also criticized Syria for not doing enough to prevent militants from crossing its border into Iraq - although American officials have said recently that Damascus has stepped up its efforts.
The relationship appeared to warm briefly following Syria's agreement to attend the Annapolis conference after the U.S. added the Golan Heights to the agenda. Syria's participation was widely seen as an attempt to gain favor with Washington.
But both sides have since lashed out at one another, each accusing the other of meddling in Lebanon, where the Western-backed government is locked in a political standoff with the pro-Syrian opposition. The U.S. also disapproves of Damascus' support for anti-Israel militant groups and alliance with Iran.
Two weeks ago, U.S. President George W. Bush rejected dialogue with the Syrian leader, saying his patience ran out on President Assad a long time ago.
The Syrian state-run Tishrin newspaper criticized the Bush administration Monday for its persistent stubbornness and provocation, a matter which will lead to more dangers in the region.
The paper praised congressman like Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania, who it said visit Syria contrary to the desires of the U.S. administration to open channels of contact and dialogue with Syria.
Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat, accompanied Specter on his two-day visit to Syria.
"During all these visits, the U.S. lawmakers have felt a clear Syrian desire for dialogue and exchange points of view for [the sake of] the region's stability," Tishrin said.
France, Syria discuss Lebanon despite Sarkozy vow to freeze ties
Meanhile, a top aide to the French president telephoned Syria's foreign minister on Monday, a day after Nicholas Sarkozy announced suspension of diplomatic contacts with Syria over its role in Lebanon.
The two sides gave different versions of the conversation, which came as France exerts diplomatic pressure to solve a political crisis in Lebanon pitting the pro-Western government against opposition groups backed by Syria and its ally Iran.
The official Syrian news agency said Claude Gueant, Sarkozy's chief of staff, called Walid al-Moualem twice to discuss "reaching a consensus solution that achieves security and stability in Lebanon".
Sarkozy's spokesman David Martinon told Reuters the conversation was in line with an announcement by Sarkozy in Cairo ordering his government to halt communication until "Syria gave a token of good faith and a widely backed president was elected in Lebanon."
Martinon said Gueant told Moualem that contacts would cease.
France has been leading efforts to mediate a settlement between the Lebanese government and the opposition. French officials have also intensified contacts with Syria and Gueant visited Syria twice since November.
A European diplomat in Damascus said France became exasperated with Syria's insistence on backing the opposition's demands for key ministries and other powers in a new government under discussion.
"The Syrians feel that matters are going their way in Lebanon and that they can afford to wait until their allies obtain what they want," the diplomat said. "Syria has a presidential candidate it could live with and is confident it can push for more."
The election has been postponed repeatedly due to differences between divided Lebanese politicians, who have agreed on army chief General Michel Suleiman as a consensus candidate for the presidency, but are still in dispute over how to share power once he is elected.
The president in Lebanon is elected by parliament, not popular vote. Syria has played down previous reports of France growing impatient with Damascus over the stalled election.
Moualem urged France this month to understand the demands of the opposition and said Syria was using its influence in Lebanon to promote a solution.
Damascus regards Lebanon as a strategic neighbour in its struggle with Israel and backs Hezbollah as a force the Jewish state could not defeat on the ground. Syrian forces pulled out from Lebanon after a 29 year presence under pressure following the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
France occupied Lebanon and Syria from 1920 to 1946 and has had traditionally links with Lebanon's Christian Maronite sect, whose political privileges were curbed under a 1989 sectarian political deal but retained the presidency. (
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