CODEL GREGG'S DECEMBER 30 MEETING WITH PRESIDENT ASAD

Wie in der vorigen Depesche gesehen, warnt der Libanon Amerika vor Zugeständnissen an Syrien bevor sie selbst welche bekommen. In einem Treffen zwischen einer amerikanischen Delegation und dem syrischen Präsidenten wird aber schnell deutlich, dass Syrien seine Front recht verhärtet hat: keine Zugeständnisse, bevor Amerika den ersten Schritt macht. Die Depesche ist recht lang und kreist um viele Themen: Friedensverhandlungen mit Israel, geheimdienstliche Zusammenarbeit mit den USA, das iranische Nuklearprogramm sind die Hauptthemen. Es lohnt sich, die Depesche ganz zu lesen. Die Zusammenfassung liest sich so:

In a frank one-hour meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Asad, Senators Gregg, Bayh, Specter, Enzi, Cornyn, and Klobuchar affirmed Washington's interest in better U.S.-Syrian relations and pushed Asad to take positive steps as well. The senators urged Syria to move forward on security cooperation with the U.S. on Iraq, facilitating the release of three detained Americans in Iran, and re-opening the Damascus Community School. Asad welcomed the prospect of more Congressional visits and candid exchanges, saying diplomacy had failed to solve the region's problems during the last two decades.

-- On comprehensive peace, Asad reiterated Syria's strong desire to return to Turkish-facilitated indirect talks with Israel as a means to establish agreed terms of reference for direct negotiations. Syria's relations with Iran should not be linked to Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations. Syria's ties to Hamas, Hizballah, and other groups could be satisfactorily resolved only after the achievement of a comprehensive regional peace, Asad maintained.

-- The U.S. and Syria should use the next several months toimprove bilateral relations so that both sides could overcome mutual distrust that would hinder U.S. credibility as an honest broker, Asad told the senators. Later in the discussion, FM Muallim argued the onus for taking the next positive step lay with the U.S. Syria could not move on issues such as the American school or the Cultural Center unless Washington lifted its ban on the sale of new commercial aircraft to Syria.

-- Calling Iran the region's most important country, Asad said the West could improve the prospects for peace by acknowledging Iran's NPT-protected right to enrich uranium under IAEA monitoring. Asad argued the West should accept Iran's "reasonable" counter-offer to ship several batches of low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for enrichment by other countries, instead of insisting Iran ship all of its LEU at once. Asad said he believed Iran was not interested in pursuing a nuclear weapon, but warned that an Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure would fail to disable the program and would only increase Iran's determination.

Hier noch einige interessante und teils amüsante Ausschnitte:

Calling for a fact-based approach to identifying the obstacles to peace, Asad likened the process to how a doctor should treat cancer. Condemnations and mutual recriminations might be self-satisfying, but the cancer still grows unless the doctor is able to treat the root illness.

Ja, die Araber. Immer müssen sie in Bildern sprechen. Sie können nicht anders, es liegt an der Muttersprache. Fragt sich nur, wofür dieses Bild steht. Ein Schelm, wer Assad unterstellt, Israel selbst als die "root illness" im Hinterkopf zu haben.

Asad cautioned against linking Iran's nuclear program to an Israeli-Syrian peace deal, arguing such a link would only complicate both sets of issues. "Too many cooks spoil the meal," he said. Later in the conversation, however (in the context of a request for Syrian intervention with Iran to free detained American hikers), Asad noted every person and nation was key in bilateral and regional dynamics.

Neben Bildern sind auch Sprichwörter sehr beliebt. Für mehr als ganz genau einen Fall, nämlich den, auf den sie gerade angewendet werden, brauchen sie dabei auch keine Gültigkeit zu haben.

The U.S. possessed a "huge information apparatus" but lacked the ability to analyze this information successfully, maintained Asad. "You're failing in the fight against extremism. While we lack your intelligence capabilities, we succeed in fighting extremists because we have better analysts," he claimed, attributing the superior analysis to living in and understanding the region.

Wir sind die besten! Und alle anderen sind doof.

Syria had no interest in supporting extremists, who weren't killing Americans but rather Iraqi civilians.

Bin ich jetzt zu doof, das richtig zu verstehen, oder hat Assad gerade gesagt, er unterstützt Terroristen nur dann, wenn sie Amis töten, aber irakische Zivilisten töten, das geht gar nicht?!

Iran represented the most important country in the region, Asad assessed, ranking Turkey second and Syria third.

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Update 07.12.2010, 23:51: Auf erreichbaren Link umgeleitet