Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: l'irrilevanza della Siria

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710711031&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
nalysis: Why Mitchell is bypassing Damascus
Apr. 16, 2009
ANDREW J. TABLER , THE JERUSALEM POST
Conspicuously absent from US special envoy George Mitchell's itinerary
to the region this week is Damascus. Despite a Syrian public relations
campaign designed to exploit Washington's opening gestures with Syria
as a major policy change, the exclusion of Damascus from the envoy's
agenda shows that the Obama administration continues to pursue
cautious and critical engagement with the regime of Syrian president
Bashar Assad.
The Syrian-US expectations gap
Following the November 2006 Iraq Study Group's recommendation to
engage Syria and Iran, the Assad regime hired the British public
relations firm Bell Pottinger to develop a Syrian public relations
strategy targeting the international community.
In January 2007 Abdulsalam Haykal - a businessman close to the Syrian
regime - and Syrian historian and political commentator Sami Moubayed
launched Forward Magazine (Syria), a monthly English-language glossy
periodical that, according to its Web site, looks at "the bright side
of things." The magazine featured a number of articles by or
interviews with Syrian ambassador to the United States Imad Moustapha
that were intensely critical of US-Syria policy.
In the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's April 2007 visit to
Damascus, a stark gap in expectations emerged between Damascus and
Washington. The Assad regime demanded talks on "the horizon of issues"
and a "package deal" on "comprehensive peace" that would solve some
bilateral issues at the expense of others. In Washington, however,
policymakers sought progress on all issues, most notably Syria's
support for terrorism, efforts to undermine Lebanon's sovereignty, an
investigation into the murder of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri,
and increasing evidence of extensive Syrian facilitation of foreign
fighters into Iraq. Many also doubted that the Bush administration or
its successor would conduct immediate high-profile engagement with
Damascus, pointing to the poor track record of US officials engaging
Assad and Damascus's new and unexpected maximalist demands for
engagement.
When Syria announced in May 2008 that it was involved in indirect
peace talks with Israel, Moubayed was appointed by the regime to serve
on the US-Syria Working Group - a "Track Two" dialogue between Syrians
and Americans organized by the US-based Search for Common Ground. With
the goal of narrowing the gap between the Syrian and American
positions, Moubayed and two other Syrians visited Washington in July
2008 to exchange views with a number of policy think tanks and former
US officials.
Not only did Syria's expectations remain unrealistically high, but it
was clear Damascus anticipated an early visit from the next US
president as well. Two days following Barack Obama's election,
Moubayed penned the article "Abu Hussein's Invitation to Damascus,"
which outlined 10 things Obama must do by inauguration for Syria to
receive him "as a guest of honor in Damascus, the way it did with
Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton."
Some of the Syrian points, including appointing a US ambassador to
Damascus, helping Syria deal with Iraqi refugees in the country, and
sponsoring Syria's indirect peace talks with Israel, were well known
to US officials. Unexpected, however, were further demands that
Washington lift US sanctions on Syria, recognize "that no problems can
be solved in the Middle East without Syria," and "help Syria combat
Islamic fundamentalism."
While Moubayed later insisted his article only reflected his own
views, journalists and analysts widely regarded them as reflecting
those of the Syrian regime.
No grand gestures
Following Obama's inauguration on January 20, Syria's public relations
campaign stalled. In addition to existing concerns with Damascus, US
officials were particularly concerned by Syria's refusal to comply
with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) requests for further
inspections at al-Kibar - the clandestine nuclear facility destroyed
by Israel in September 2007, where IAEA inspectors found traces of
uranium and graphite.
So instead of the kind of grand gesture Syria wanted, Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton dispatched Assistant Secretary of State for Near
East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman on February 26 for talks with Moustapha.
In the meeting, Feltman raised the issues of Syria's "support to
terrorist groups and networks, acquisition of nuclear and
nonconventional weaponry, interference in Lebanon, and worsening human
rights situation." Regime spokesmen immediately attacked Feltman for
using the "language of the neocons."
Following the meeting, however, both sides labeled the talks
"constructive," leading to another round of discussions in Damascus on
March 7 between Feltman and National Security Council Middle East
director Daniel Shapiro and Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem.
Following the talks, Feltman announced that both sides had found "a
lot of common ground" and that instead of setting "benchmarks" for
Damascus, each side was watching the future "choices" of the other.
Two days later, Assad stepped into the fray. In the ensuing 23 days,
he gave an unprecedented six interviews to international media. But
rather than dealing with the issues discussed during Feltman and
Shapiro's visit, Assad targeted Israel, offering it only a cold peace,
blaming outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert for the failure of recent
indirect Syrian-Israeli negotiations, and refusing to talk about
cutting ties with Hizbullah, Hamas and Teheran.
In another interview, Assad implied he had been asked to mediate
between Washington and Teheran. Then, in his first-ever e-mail
interview with an American journalist, Assad told The New Yorker's Sy
Hersh that he not only sought US mediation with Israel, but also
wanted direct contact with Obama.
In the latest installment of the campaign, Moustapha told the
Washington Times editorial board on April 7 that the United States had
signaled a sea change in its relations with Syria, claiming that
relations with Washington were suddenly so amicable that US officials
said, "We will never ask you to kick [Hamas politburo leader] Khaled
Mashaal out of Damascus." He also predicted Mitchell would soon visit
the Syrian capital.
Washington's cautious, critical approach
Contrary to Moustapha's predictions, no such policy shift has taken
place. Instead, Washington continues to utilize a step-by-step
pragmatic approach to engaging Damascus.
Unlike most other countries on the US List of State Sponsors of
Terrorism, the United States and Syria have diplomatic relations and
functioning embassies. Following the Feltman-Shapiro meeting,
Washington is now watching Damascus's choices on the issues discussed.
Thus far there has been some diplomatic motion on Lebanon and Iraq. On
March 24, Syria officially appointed its first-ever ambassador to
Lebanon (who has yet to be posted). Muallem visited Baghdad the
following day for talks on border security and committed Syria to
"whatever help is necessary" for a successful withdrawal of US forces
from Iraq. Washington is now waiting for Syria to follow through on
both commitments.
On the ground in Damascus, Syria has allowed the reopening of the
American Language Center, an English-language institute affiliated
with the embassy that was closed along with the embassy's cultural
center and the American School following the October 29 US raid on
terrorist bases near the eastern Syrian town of Muallem.
In other areas of US concern, however, progress has yet to be made.
Syria continues to refuse IAEA requests for further inspections or to
talk about its worsening human rights situation. Last, but not least,
Damascus has yet to show its much-trumpeted ability to rein in weapons
smuggling to Hamas or to bring it into a Palestinian unity government
with Fatah.
Dilemmas reveal intentions
With Damascus unfortunately more interested in public relations than
addressing outstanding bilateral issues, Washington's step-by-step
approach seems set to continue.
In the short term, a key test to see if Damascus is capable of
cooperating with Washington will be Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary
elections, which US policymakers are watching closely to see if the
poll will take place without Syrian interference or assassinations.
Concerning Iraq, Washington is waiting to see if Syria will follow
through on its promises to stop the flow of jihadi fighters across its
borders.
In the long term, however, Washington's biggest challenge will be to
devise a strategy to put the Syrian regime into policy dilemmas in
which its choices will reveal if it will eventually conclude and
implement a peace treaty with Israel and realign itself away from
Iran.
By making clear agreements with the United States and implementing
them, Assad has the opportunity to rebuild trust with Washington. Only
when this is accomplished can grand presidential gestures to Damascus
be a viable option in Washington's competitive policy environment.
Andrew J. Tabler, cofounder and former editor-in-chief of Syria Today,
is a Soref fellow at The Washington Institute. Reprinted with
permission of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

 ANDREW J. TABLER , THE JERUSALEM POST
Segnalo anche questo:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/04/06/090406fa_fact_hersh?printa
ble=true
-- 
Luca Logi - Firenze - Italy        e-mail: 
ll...@dada.it
   Home page: 
http://www.angelfire.com/ar/archivarius
                   (musicologia pratica)


La sintonia tra Assad e il dottor Logi (1), peraltro, può essere
notata anche nelle comuni posizioni sul sionismo. Non ricordo post del
dottor (1) Logi dedicati alla condizione degli ebrei in Siria, devo
dire.
(1)  non certo perché si sia laureato, ma -come ricordato dal maestro,
professore e dottor Logi stesso- a norma del decreto legge 212/2002
relativo al riordino dei titoli di studio del settore artistico, dal
quale si può dedurre che ha titoli equivalenti a *due* (dicasi due)
lauree triennali.
----
LUCA LOGI ovvero "simpatiche cazzate"
cfr 
http://raionim.blogspot.com/2008/12/luca-logi-e-i-piselli.html

 Probabilmente Assad, in questa famosa E mail
noto che il dott. Zanardo non rinuncia a fare la figura
dell'incompetente in politica internazionale, mescolando il presidente
siriano Assad con il sottoscritto
puoi tirare in ballo quanto vuoi il sottoscritto, ma la Siria non te la
leverai di torno
e ora torna a scrivere stupidaggini


 leverai di torno
Sembrerebbe una maledizione!
-- 
Tb

 , mescolando il presidente siriano Assad con il sottoscritto
assolutamente no. E' solo che tu hai postato un articolo di un tale
che dice di aver ricevuto una E mail da Assad, nella quale il
presidente siriano, figlio anche lui di presidente perché da quelle
parti si usa così, scrive esattamente quel che scrivi tu.
Che Israele è ebraico, cioé cattivo. Sarà per via di quelle note
maledizioni della cui esistenza tu sei certo, che anche se sono
scritte in piccolo saranno (sempre secondo te, a proposito di
cialtroni)  pronunciate da qualche rabbino, che dice delle scemenze,
che secondo te io condivido.

 e ora torna a scrivere stupidaggini
27 minuti netti, in 2 giorni ho già vinto 5 cene. Se metti la dinamo
al dreidel diventi più ricco di uno sceicco arabo

 ha scritto nel messaggio 
news:938624569261662148.684...@news.motzarella.org...

sta scritta in qualche libro di preghiera, secondo te????

 sta scritta in qualche libro di preghiera, secondo te????
bisognerebbe che la siria non confinasse con israele, ecco tutto
però, a regola, bisognerebbe anche che la siria non confinasse neanche
con l'iraq
e magari che l'iraq non confinasse con l'iran
meglio ancora se l'iran non confinasse con l'afghanistan
del pakistan che confina con l'afghanistan non c'è da fidarsi
e c'è da fidarsi poco anche dell'india
insomma prima del nepal non si sta tranquilli


 bisognerebbe che la siria non confinasse
la menzione della maledizione contro i piselli dei cristiani fa
sbarellare il Logi. Geograficamente parlando, si intende.