US Sen Kerry hopeful after talks in Syria
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The Associated Press
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 23, 2009 00:00
DAMASCUS - U.S. Sen. John Kerry said after talks with Syria's president that there are possibilities for "real cooperation" between the two nations, which have been at odds for years.
Relations soured under the Bush administration, and Kerry and other members of Congress who have come to the Syrian capital in the last week explored the possibilities for better relations after President Barack Obama signaled he wanted to talk to opponents. Kerry told a small group of reporters at the U.S. Embassy he was encouraged by the "very long, candid, open" discussion with President Bashar Assad Saturday and that he sees the possibility of progress ahead.
"While we will disagree on some issues for sure, what I heard and what I will take back with me and hopefully what we could put in place to take advantage of it, is the possibility of real cooperation on a number of different issues beginning immediately, beginning soon."
U.S.-Syrian relations have long been tense. Syria's support for the militant organizations Hamas and Hezbollah has drawn the ire of Washington, which has also accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq. Syria, which staunchly opposed the 2003 invasion, insists it is doing all it can to safeguard its long, porous border. Relations soured further when the Bush administration pulled the U.S. ambassador out of Syria in 2005 to protest Syria's suspected role in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Damascus denied involvement in his death, but in the uproar that followed, it was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, ending a 29-year military presence.
Assad told Kerry and U.S. Rep. Howard Berman, whom he met with separately earlier in the day, that "the policy of dictation has proven useless and that dialogue is the only way" to solve problems, according to Syria's official news agency, SANA.
"While we will disagree on some issues for sure, what I heard and what I will take back with me and hopefully what we could put in place to take advantage of it, is the possibility of real cooperation on a number of different issues beginning immediately, beginning soon."
U.S.-Syrian relations have long been tense. Syria's support for the militant organizations Hamas and Hezbollah has drawn the ire of Washington, which has also accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq. Syria, which staunchly opposed the 2003 invasion, insists it is doing all it can to safeguard its long, porous border. Relations soured further when the Bush administration pulled the U.S. ambassador out of Syria in 2005 to protest Syria's suspected role in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Damascus denied involvement in his death, but in the uproar that followed, it was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, ending a 29-year military presence.
Assad told Kerry and U.S. Rep. Howard Berman, whom he met with separately earlier in the day, that "the policy of dictation has proven useless and that dialogue is the only way" to solve problems, according to Syria's official news agency, SANA.