May 4, 2007

Will Lebanon Get Lost in the US-Syrian Shuffle?

By Rick Moran
Secretary of State Condi Rice's meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Waleed Moallem - the first high level contact between Syria and the US in more than 2 years - may be a significant step on the road to better relations between the two countries. At the very least, it signals a willingness on the part of the Bush Administration to explore ways to get the Syrians to stop assisting the Iraqi insurgents by funneling fresh Arab fighters onto the battlefields of Iraq.Just prior to the meeting in Egypt, a US military spokesman reported that Syria had moved to reduce "the flow of foreign fighters" across its borders into Iraq. This was a prerequisite for any contact to take place between Syria and the US. But one wonders what has changed? Syria has been saying that they have taken steps to close their borders before. The fact that we now "accept" Syria's contention at this time could mean that our State Department has employed a diplomatic device to justify the...(Read Full Article)