President Bashar al-Assad believes that no solution is possible with the current Israeli government, as all of Israel has veered to extremism, and there no longer is a right and a left there, or warmongers versus peace activists. The Syrian President was talking to me about Israel in the presidential palace overlooking Damascus, as though he were looking into a crystal ball, as only a few hours had gone by after our conversation, when the Israeli navy attacked the peace flotilla in international waters, murdering, injuring and detaining with the ensuing international uproar against Israel. I thus decided to postpone my publication of my conversation with the President, as well as the ones I had before him with brother Gamal Mubarak and General Omar Suleiman, and after him with brother Khaled Mashaal and Dr. Ramadan Shalah, until after the local and international uproars against Israel have abated. The conversation is not for publication in its entirety, and so I will select some parts. Dr. Bashar said that raising the issue of the Syrian negotiation track is due to the fact that the American and other mediators are aware of the impossibility of a solution between Israel and the Palestinians; however, he believes that there is no solution with Syria either, because of the extreme positions of the current Israeli government. He feels that Israel might seek a war with Iran, and perhaps with Syria and Lebanon as well, in order to evade its obligations towards the peace process. But he also stressed that military exercises, mobilization and threats do not necessarily mean that there will be war, just like reassurances and the absence of mobilization do not necessarily mean that there will be peace. And so perhaps the threats are aimed at deterrence in order to avoid war. I then brought up the issue of the upcoming International Tribunal for Lebanon in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other assassinations. The president said that Syria cooperated with all inquiry committees positively, and he fully believes that the tribunal will prove that “we have nothing to do with this case...they tried to exploit it politically and failed”. In a response to a question I asked about what was mentioned in other news reports, he said that it is unlikely that Hezbollah is involved in the assassination, and said that Syria's relationship with Hezbollah focuses on the struggle against Israel; but when it comes to Lebanon, this is an internal matter. He suggested that Prime Minister Saad Hariri continue communicating with Hezbollah like his father before him, and said that Saad is dealing positively with Syria and that he enjoys Arab and international support that he must translate into achievements. I proposed that the President attempt to ‘soften' the atmosphere, but he said that he prefers not to interfere in Lebanese internal affairs, and that all the mediators and officials who visit Damascus these days do not invoke the Lebanese issue with him, nor do they ask for anything concerned with Lebanon from Syria, because Lebanon is no longer a conflict zone. This is true, but I know that every Western offer to Syria ends with a request for the latter to sever its special relationship, or alliance, with Iran. However, President Bashar al-Assad who remained steadfast in the toughest circumstances, and resisted the pressures of the Bush administration, is confident about his ability to resist the current pressures. He reminded me that three weeks after the war on Iraq, the then Secretary of State Collin Powell visited him and made many demands to which the president's response was no, no and no. The relations with Turkey are good at every level, to the extent at which I did not feel any need to ask the President about them. This is despite the fact that I will tackle the issue of regional economic cooperation in a future article in this column. I asked Dr. Bashar about the crisis of the Iraqi government, or governance, and he said that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki mishandled the relations with all neighbouring countries. However, the situation is better now, and the problem is Inter-Iraqi, as there are deep disputes among parliamentary blocs, and often within the same blocs. He predicted that the crisis will ease soon, but he ruled out any Syrian or Arab intervention there because of the difficulty of reaching a solution on behalf of the Iraqis. The relations with Egypt occupied a large part of the meeting with the President, especially in what relates to his visit, which did not take place to congratulate President Hosni Mubarak on his successful surgery in Germany. I had heard the details about what happened from General Omar Suleiman and after him from brother Gamal Mubarak, and also President al-Assad. The details were similar in all accounts, and often the same, and if there was any error in this regard, it is because of a certain sensitivity present today that I hope will disappear – because of the sheer importance of the roles of Egypt and Syria in tandem with the alliance with Turkey against Israel. Nevertheless, I know that the economic relations were not affected, but instead are growing continuously, with determination on the part of all parties involved. I sat down with Dr. Bashar al-Assad for nearly two hours, but not everything that is known, or heard, can be said. I found him to be comfortable and reassured regarding the Syrian internal situations and the relations of his country with neighbouring countries and other countries. I feel, like him, that the worst days are behind us, that bygones are bygones, and that the political situation is stable. The economic situation is improving, and the hope of a better future is not unjustified. [email protected]
