Senior US official's talks with Syrian leader 'candid'

SYRIAN PRESIDENT Bashar al-Assad yesterday received a senior US official seeking to improve relations with Damascus.

The visit of undersecretary of state William Burns followed an announcement by President Barack Obama that career diplo- mat and Arabic speaker Robert Ford could soon take up the post of ambassador to Syria.

Mr Ford, who served in Algeria, Turkey and Egypt, is deputy chief of mission in Baghdad.

Mr Burns gave little away about the discussions with the Syrian leader. “We talked candidly about areas in which we disagree, but also identified areas of common ground on which we can build. I have no illusions about the challenges on the road ahead. But my meeting with President Assad leaves me hopeful that we can make progress together in the interests of both of our countries.”

He is the highest-ranking US official to visit Damascus since the Bush administration accused Syria of aiding insurgents attacking US forces occupying Iraq.

In 2004, Congress passed the Syria Accountability Act which imposes financial sanctions and bans the sale of most US goods to Syria.

The US withdrew its ambassador following the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, blamed by the Bush administration on Syria. Damascus has always denied involvement.

Areas of disagreement between Syria and the US include Damascus’s close ties to Tehran, and support for Lebanon’s Hizbullah movement and 10 dissident Palestinian groups. The groups include Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which continue armed action against the Israeli occupation.

Damascus is not prepared to give in to US demands to turn against Iran or cut support for the Palestinians until Washington ends sanctions against Syria and exerts pressure on Israel to return the Golan Heights and negotiate seriously on the creation of a Palestinian state.

Although the Obama administration has shown itself unable to meet Syria’s demands, both sides are interested in improving relations in order to bolster Iraq’s security and unity, to promote stability in politically fragile Lebanon and to counter the rise of Muslim fundamentalism in the region.