Syrian President Bashar Assad
Photo: AP
Report: Assad used Abbas to deliver message to Obama
Lebanese newspaper al-Mustaqbal says Syrian president asked Palestinian leader to relay several requests to US president just prior to Washington's decision to return American ambassador to Damascus, including one for US sponsorship of peace talks with Israel
Syrian President Bashar Assad recently relayed a message to US President Barack Obama in which he stated Damascus was seeking to improve its relations with Washington, Lebanese newspaper al-Mustaqbal reported Sunday.
According to the report, Assad used Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to relay his message, which included a four-part request: For the US to reinstate its ambassador to Damascus, for it to take Syria off its terror watch list, for the US-Syrian-Iraqi coordinating committee – tasked with supervising the Syrian-Iraqi border – to resume its activities, and for Obama to commit to and sponsor Damascus' peace talks with Jerusalem.
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The Lebanese newspaper further reported that once Abbas briefed the US president on Syria's wishes, Obama promised to consider all of them "favorably."
Last week, Washington announced it would be reopening its Damascus Embassy.
Israel is monitoring these developments carefully. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday that he intended to address the issue of the Israeli-Syrian peace talks during his upcoming visit to Washington.
