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UAE PRESS EDITORIAL |
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06.25.2009 |
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Abu Dhabi: Two major UAE English dailies today commented on another positive step taken by US President, Barack Obama, towards achieving peace in the Middle East by deciding to restore normal diplomatic relations with Syria, in a bid to engage the latter, which is a key player in the Middle East and to any possible settlement of Arab-Israeli conflict.
Commenting editorially on the issue under the title "Another Positive Signal From Obama", the Sharjah-based "The Gulf Today" said: "US PRESIDENT Barack Obama's decision to return a US ambassador to Syria after a hiatus of more than four years marks a significant step towards engaging Damascus in diplomacy.
"Indeed, the move is in line with Obama's clear policy of engaging countries deemed hostile to the US and listening to their grievances with a view to determining whether there are common grounds for reconciliation.
"It is also part of the Obama administration's efforts to play a far larger role for the United States in the region as the president is working on improving US relations with the Muslim and Arab worlds.
"In the case of Syria, the February 2005 decision of the then administration led by George W Bush to withdraw the US ambassador from that country cost the US valuable diplomatic leverage in the region, particularly that it came when the US military was consolidating its occupation of Iraq.
"Few in the region were and are convinced that Syria was involved in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri that was cited as the reason for the withdrawal of the US ambassador from Damascus.
"By sending an ambassador back to Syria, whose importance and centrality to any effort for peace in the Middle East could not be questioned, Obama is plugging a major vacuum that his predecessor had created in the region. Furthermore, disengagement with Syria did not serve US interests because the absence of American diplomatic presence in Damascus deprived Washington of the ability to speak authoritatively to the leadership of an Arab country central to many US interests in the Middle East.
"Obama built the ground for the decision to resume diplomatic presence in Syria after sounding out the Syrian leadership through visits of high-level US military and diplomatic delegations. Obama's Middle East envoy, George J. Mitchell, was in Damascus this month.
"There are several issues that need to be sorted out between Washington and Damascus. These include, among others, US concerns over what Washington sees as a dangerous relationship between Syria and Iran, and Damascus' links with Lebanon's Hizbollah.
"Damascus has its own concerns, mainly the almost unlimited support that the US has been extending to Israel so far, including an implicit endorsement of Israel's annexation of Syria's Golan Heights which the Israeli military seized in the 1967 war.
"With his decision to return an ambassador to Syria, Obama has produced further proof of his declared commitment of seeking peace in the Middle East on the basis of justice and fairness." Also commenting on the same issue under the title "Obama signals Syria's return to prominence", the Dubai-based "Gulf News" said: "Finally, after a four-year absence, a United States ambassador will be sent to Syria. The decision by President Barack Obama is the latest move by Washington to engage Damascus, a major player in the Middle East, a cornerstone of regional stability and the key to any possible settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
"The Bush administration had put relations with Syria on hold in 2005 following the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri and amid allegations that Damascus was aiding the anti-US armed groups in Iraq.
"The move also comes as Syria is increasingly coming out of its Arab and Western-imposed diplomatic isolation. Arab media reports said this week that King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia plans to visit Syria, which would be his first trip to Damascus in four years.
"Syria's ties with the US have always been controversial. Washington has always classified Syria as one of the 'radical' regimes in this region - as opposed to the so-called 'moderates'. Essentially, it boils down to Damascus's refusal to normalise relations with Israel before the return of all occupied Arab land.
"Obama's appointment of an ambassador to Syria signals a change in policy - any attempt to broker a peace deal in the Middle East cannot ignore the fundamental role of Syria. But, most importantly, it shows that regional policies are changing and states need to take that into account. In all probability, the region is witnessing the return of the Arab tripartite axis: Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This is already showing positive results in Lebanon, which had peaceful elections earlier this month and is making a renewed push for a unity government. The next stop is perhaps Iraq, where it is hoped that an Arab consensus on the need to restore security in the occupied country will end the bloodletting and boost the political process."
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Source:www.wam.ae |
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