For five years, the United States has shunned Syria, denying the Arab country the prestige and access that come with having an American ambassador in Damascus. The instant explanation was to protest the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who was killed in 2005 in a Beirut truck bombing that his supporters blamed on Syria. Syria denied involvement and has expressed interest from time to time in being involved in US efforts to promote peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. By all accounts, Syria now will get the opportunity. Depending on Senate confirmation, a seasoned ambassador, Robert Ford, will be sent to Damascus as US envoy and the door will be open for Syria and Israel to negotiate with US blessing – assuming talks can be arranged. “It's a clear sign after five years without an American ambassador in Damascus of America's readiness to improve relations and to cooperate in the pursuit of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Arabs and Israelis,” Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, said Wednesday. The Syrian Embassy spokesman welcomed the move. Ahmed Salkini said in an interview, “We face some thorny issues in our region. It is imperative for a regional player like Syria and the world's superpower to maintain a deep dialogue.” Far longer than that, since December 1979, Syria has been on the department's list of countries that support terrorism. The ongoing accusation includes suspicions Syria collaborates with Iran in supplying munitions to radical groups for use against Israel. That listing has not been erased. All the while, though, there has been no denying that Syria is a front-line state in the Arab-Israeli dispute. It wants to regain the strategic Golan Heights, an enclave Israel captured during the 1967 Mideast War. It has offered peace in exchange. Aaron David Miller, a longtime Middle East negotiator and State Department adviser, said in an interview Wednesday, every president since then, with the exception of George W. Bush, has been “fascinated with the possibility of an Israeli-Syrian peace treaty.” “None has managed to bring it to fruition,” Miller said, and without an active peace process involving the United States, the chances for an improved US-Syria relationship are very, very slim with or without a new US ambassador.” The decision to appoint a US ambassador coincides, however, with rising administration disagreement with Iran and a US effort to unite the Arab world in opposition to the regime in Tehran, isolating it if possible. Syria's strong ties to Iran work against that kind of union. The Obama administration could be betting the ties could be loosened with some serious coaxing from Washington and a determined effort by the administration to drive home terms for a settlement between Israel and Syria.
