Powell Visit Softens Tension Between Washington, Damascus

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, May 04, 2003

Powell Visit Softens Tension Between Washington, Damascus

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and visiting US Secretary of State Colin Powell held lengthy talks here on Saturday on some important and sensitive issues, and reached understandings on some of them, signaling an easing up of tensions in relations between the two countries.

This was the first top-level contact between the two sides since they had a row over the Iraq war and other issues earlier this year.

The Syrian presidential press service said the talks between Assad and Powell were "constructive, candid and positive."

"It has been agreed to maintain contacts and coordination of efforts in a manner that serves the interests of both countries and achieves security and stability in the region," it added in a communique.

Both sides reached consensus on maintaining Iraq's unity and the formation of the future Iraqi government, it said.

Powell stressed that any future Iraqi government should represent interests of people from all factions and groups and establish good relations with neighboring countries, especially with Syria. Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Faruk Shareh has stated that Damascus would not "interfere in Iraq's internal affairs."

According to local diplomatic sources, Powell expressed satisfaction with his talks with Assad after they discussed very "important" and "sensitive" issues and reached understandings over some problems.

Prior to the meeting, Powell said he and Assad would discuss all problems standing between the United States and Syria, including issues of the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, Palestinian radical organizations headquartered in Damascus, weapons of mass destruction and the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.

He also said that the use of force option against Syria was noton the cards despite the American opposition to Syria in the recent period.

Powell's visit came amid new developments in Iraq and other positive changes in the region, including the Palestinian Legislature Council's approval of a new cabinet and the US releaseof a much-anticipated "roadmap" peace plan for Middle East, and isof great importance, analysts say.

During Saturday's meeting, Powell also briefed Assad on the roadmap peace plan, calling it part of a project for a comprehensive end to the Arab-Israeli conflicts, including the Syria-Israel and the Lebanon-Israel conflicts.

The top US diplomat stressed that the US administration attaches great importance to realizing a comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East, which will also include the return of the Golan Heights to Syria from Israel.

Syria has urged a comprehensive solution to the Middle East conflicts and is opposed to any separate settlement, but now takesa flexible position on the roadmap peace plan.

While Assad announced that Syria agreed with "what the Palestinians had accepted," Damascus still holds that the plan should not be limited to resolving the Palestinian issue, but should also tackle Israel's conflicts with Syria and Lebanon.

Analysts said that the United States has worked hard to promotethe Middle East peace process, especially the implementation of the "roadmap" peace plan, and promised to propel Israel's negotiations with Syria and Lebanon after the plan was implementedsuccessfully; On the other hand, the United States has devoted itself to maintain security and stability in the Middle East.

The United States, therefore, not only wanted Syria and Lebanon's cooperation in promoting the peace process between the Israelisand Palestinians, but also demanded Syria close the offices of Palestinian radical organizations in Damascus and to pull its forces out of Lebanon, urged Hezbollah to end its military actionsand withdraw from the southern part of Lebanon, in a bid to turn the Syrian-Lebanese border area, which borders Israel, into a zoneof security and stability.

Powell said in Damascus explicitly that the United States is willing to settle the disputes between the two nations by diplomatic means and has no plans to stage a military strike against Syria, which responded with its will to develop bilateral ties with the United States.

Sources said that Syria has already closed the offices of some Palestinian radical organizations, but it has not been confirmed yet.

Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Shareh said during his visitto Lebanon on Thursday that Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese society and the issues related to the guerrilla group should be solved by the Lebanese themselves.

Analysts say that relations between Syria and the United Statespose a direct impact on the interests of both sides and to the security and stability of the Middle East, and will produce an important influence on the regional peace process.

As a major nation in the region, Syria plays an important role in the Middle East peace process and bears important influence on Hezbollah and Palestinian radical organizations, they say.

All signs show that both Washington and Damascus are willing toavert confrontation and solve the existing disputes through dialogue, and the bilateral ties will be improved with more cooperation on regional issues and further dialogue, analysts say.

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