'No decision on next steps.' Clinton
Photo: Reuters
Syrian FM Walid al-Moallem
Photo: AFP
Clinton encourages Israel, Syria contacts
US secretary of state tells reporters in Ankara importance of indirect peace negotiations 'cannot be overstated'; meanwhile, US envoy holds 'very constructive' talks with Syrian FM in Damascus
The importance of Syria's indirect peace contacts with Israel "cannot be overstated", US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday.
US Senator
Associated Press
US senator tells think-tank Assad told him Damascus willing to embrace Arab peace initiative from 2000, looking past Iran to improved relations with Arab countries and West, but adds: We should have no illusion that Syria will immediately end its ties to Iran
Clinton made her comments at a news conference during a brief visit to Ankara, when asked about Washington's possible plans to send an envoy back to Damascus.
She said Washington had not taken a decision yet on that. Washington withdrew its ambassador and stepped up sanctions against Damascus after the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, in February 2005.
But praising Turkey's mediation role between Syria and Israel, Clinton said: "The importance of this track, the peace effort, cannot be overstated. Turkey has played a very important role."
Turkey mediated indirect talks between Israel and Syria, and Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan told the news conference that Ankara was ready to relaunch the talks if there was a request from both sides.
Syria formally suspended the Turkish-mediated indirect talks last year during the Israeli invasion of Gaza, but Syrian officials have not ruled out their resumption, even if a right wing government is formed in Israel.
President Barack Obama has been reviewing US policy toward Syria, including whether to return an ambassador to Damascus.
"We have not decided on any next steps," Clinton said.
Clinton said Obama will visit NATO-member Turkey next month.
"His decision was reached late yesterday in Washington and we are very excited that the president will be coming to Turkey ... The exact date will be announced shortly," she said, adding the visit reflected the value the US placed on its ties with predominantly Muslim Turkey.
Also Saturday, a senior US envoy visiting Syria as part of the Obama administration's effort to ease the rivalry between the two countries said he held "very constructive" talks with Syrian officials and expressed hope for future progress.
Damascus has also signaled it is interested in better relations, but both sides remain cautious over whether they can surmount their key differences, including Syria's backing for militants and its alliance with Iran.
"This is a very constructive discussion point," said Jeffrey Feltman, the top US State Department envoy to the Mideast, who was visiting Damascus with Daniel Shapiro from the White House.
"We look forward to making progress in achieving results in the bilateral relationship and in terms of regional issues," said Feltman after the two met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem.
America has long wanted Syria to drop support for terror groups Hizbullah and Hamas that have undermined Mideast peace efforts. The US also hopes to peel Syria away from its alliance with Iran and would welcome Syrian help on Iraq, Lebanon and inter-Palestinian reconciliation.
The Syrians want a strong American hand in Mideast peacemaking to regain territory they lost to Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Improvement in bilateral ties also could result in easing economic and diplomatic sanctions imposed by Washington.
'Encourage Syria to make peace with Israel'
The Obama administration's decision to send Feltman and Shapiro to Syria was the most significant sign yet that it is ready to improve relations with the Syrian government after years of tension.
But Secretary of State Clinton said the envoys were sent for "preliminary conversations" when she announced the visit earlier this week and played down expected results from the diplomatic push.
"We have no way to predict what the future with our relations concerning Syria might be," Clinton said in Jerusalem Tuesday.
It was not clear whether the US envoys would meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad during the visit, which was ignored by state-run newspapers in an indication of Damascus' cautious approach.
Assad has welcomed improved ties, something he has long sought but was hampered by the Bush administration's attempts to isolate his country. Assad has said he is impressed by Obama's friendly gestures but was still waiting to see results.
The Americans are signaling they, too, want to see results.
Speaking in Lebanon, Feltman on Friday explained that engaging Syria "is a tool of our diplomacy" and "not a reward."
He told reporters that the US has a long list of bilateral and regional concerns with Syria. The trip "is an opportunity for us to start addressing these concerns and using engagement as a tool to promote our objectives in the region," he said.
Imad Mustapha, Syria's ambassador to Washington, said during a telephone interview from Washington that he noticed a change in the Americans' tone in his recent meeting with Feltman in the US capital.
"They've given up on the idea of Syria has to do this and that," he said, characterizing current discussions as an "in-depth exploratory dialogue" by the Americans after the failure of their past policies.
It's not clear when the dialogue will start to yield results.
