"We are a player in the region. If you want to talk about peace, you can't advance without Syria."
"you must deal with Syria on her terms". Bashar Al-assad to guardian.co.uk,
But according to the main Lebanese Hasbara outlet (keep Dreaming)
Quasi-defunct An Nahar: "US is happy with Syria's obedience!"
"... U.S. President Barack Obama's appointment of a U.S. Ambassador to Syria was probably partially related to the situation in Lebanon..... probably a result of Syria accomplishing a "valuable mission" for the U.S., whether in Lebanon, Iraq, or Palestine, or that it was part of a number of missions Syria is expected to fulfill to mobilize a few pending issues in the Middle East. One such mission, could have been Syria's role in preventing Hizbullah from executing military action as part of its campaign against the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, they said. Future missions expected of Syria revolve around halting the passage of weapons from Iran to Lebanon, which passes through Syria, breaking the strategic agreement between Syria and Iran, and closing Hamas and Islamic Jihad offices in Damascus. On a related note, political sources close to Syria predicted that the Saudi-Syrian initiative to end the Lebanese political crisis would call for a governmental change after the release of the indictment ..."
Posted by G, Z, or B at 11:26 AM
Obama Challenges Republicans, Appoints Ambassador to SyriaObama took the challenging step of forcing through the appointments of Ambassador Robert Ford and five other officials while the Senate - which normally needs to confirm nominations - was out of session.
A senior administration official traveling with Obama on vacation in Hawaii justified the recess appointments, which came despite talk of cooperation with Republicans in the waning days of the last Congress. "All administrations face delays in getting some of their nominees confirmed, but the extent of Republican obstruction of Obama nominees is unprecedented," the official said on condition of anonymity.
The United States withdrew its ambassador to Damascus after Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was killed in February 2005. Obama announced his desire to put a new ambassador in Syria in 2009 and named Ford in February this year, advancing his policy of reaching out even to adversaries of the United States.
Meanwhile, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican who will head the House Foreign Affairs Committee next month after her party swept mid-term elections, accused Obama of offering concessions to a country that is "destabilizing" Lebanon where it backs Hezbollah. "Making underserved concessions to Syria tells the regime in Damascus that it can continue to pursue its dangerous agenda and not face any consequences from the US," the Florida lawmaker claimed. "That is the wrong message to be sending to a regime which continues to harm and threaten US interests and those of such critical allies as Israel," she said.
But Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Ford can make clear to Syria that there are consequences for their actions, good and bad. "I think we're better off with many difficult countries when we're in their face, not when we ignore them," he said.
Obama also rammed through the appointments of US ambassadors to Turkey, Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic and two other administration officials.
'Enough's enough' says Obama as he bypasses Congress to Syria ...
"....Obama took the controversial step of forcing through the appointments of Ambassador Robert Ford and five other officials while the Senate -- which normally needs to confirm nominations -- was out of session. A senior administration official traveling with Obama on vacation in Hawaii justified the recess appointments, which are certain to irritate Republicans after both sides spoke of bipartisanship in the waning days of the last Congress.
"All administrations face delays in getting some of their nominees confirmed, but the extent of Republican obstruction of Obama nominees is unprecedented," the official said on condition of anonymity.....
The administration sees Syria as a crucial link in diplomatic efforts to negotiate peace in the Middle East. It has also hoped to step up intelligence cooperation with Syria, while saying that Ford would directly air US concerns. Republicans, who swept November mid-term elections, have adamantly opposed the appointment....
Ford, who would likely head soon to Damascus, is a veteran US diplomat in the Arab world..."
Posted by G, Z, or B at 6:01 PM
Uprooted Palestinian
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