Get US-Syria Relations Out of a Deep Freeze

The shape and substance of the bilateral relationship between Syria and the United States, in cold storage for almost a decade, appears to be out of the freezer and into less frigid air as demonstrated by recent moves, albeit small.

In his Inaugural Address, President Barack Obama asked former foes to un-clinch their fists; President Bashar al-Assad sent a gracious, congratulatory letter to Obama and shortly thereafter called publicly for "positive dialogue."  Despite an economic embargo on trade and investments with Syria, the U.S. initiated two positive gestures quit recently, allowing Syrian Air to receive spare parts for its aging Boeing 747s and then the Treasury Department allowing Americans to transfer $500,000 of private donations to the Children with Cancer Support Association, a Syrian charity.  Small gestures, but gestures of warmth.

A Congressional delegation in January led by Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) of the House Armed Services Committee visited Damascus to discuss security challenges in Iraq and the Syrian role.  This week, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will be meeting Assad and other key officials concerned with regional issues of peace and stability, including prospects for a Syrian-Israel treaty of peace in calendar year 2009 and the role the U.S. government might play.  On that score, the Obama Administration's special envoy George Mitchell will pursue his listening diplomacy in Damascus and Beirut on his second trip to the region later this month.

The U.S. put Syria into the diplomatic deep freezer following the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri four years ago this month. While Syrian officials vigorously and consistently denied involvement in the murder, United Nations, European, American, and Lebanese officials did not believe them.  The U.N. passed resolutions and established an international tribunal to investigate the assassination; the U.S. yanked out of Damascus its ambassador and that position remains unoccupied today.  The Syrians responded by isolating the American Embassy; the State Department coldly returned the gesture.  In its last act, the Bush Administration ensured that Syria's ambassador was not invited to the historic January 20th Inauguration.

As mentioned earlier, commerce between the private sectors of the two countries have been restricted by legislation and is close to nil, as are cultural and educational exchanges.  Such is the hostile and isolated state of affairs between the two counties.  Most analysts believe, however, that the current cold climate of disengagement has served neither side and it is time to review the situation, indeed alter it 180 degrees.

To return to normal bilateral relations, early, mid-course, and long term steps need to be taken.  I suggest three early and mid-term ones.

1. Reestablish trust.  Positive moves are badly needed, including official contacts and exchanges, as well as continued gestures by top officials in both capitals.  Syrian negativity should cease; the U.S. should make it very clear that it will not follow any of the previous Administration's policies aimed at regime change.  Both sides can join hands on the issue of 1.5 million Iraqi refugees now living in Syria, starting by acknowledging the hardships Syria is encountering and the fact that it is dealing with its new residents with compassion in the areas of housing, health care, and education.
2. Normalize the status of each nation's embassies in each other's capital city.  A new American ambassador should be nominated, approved by the Senate, and sent to Damascus by June 30^th.
3. Publicly support and join in mediating a conclusion, with guarantees of troops and early warning systems, to the long-delayed, long-awaited Syria-Israel treaty of peace.  This international contract could dramatically change the dynamics of the region, recasting a new environment of peace and stability over the Levant, including with the Palestinians, if not further east.  It would also alter the nature of Syria's relationship with non-state actors such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad.

The most important long-term challenges:

1. Engage the two business communities, ending the Syria Accountability Act, helping Syria with its WTO application, and putting Syria on the road of economic growth, the same road that its neighbors Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan are on.  Syria wants American trade and investments and foremost technology.
2. Engage Syria, engage Iran.  A U.S.-Syria rapprochement would provide America with a credible partner in future contact with Tehran.  Additionally, Iran's regional influence could be greatly curtailed by depriving it of unhindered access to Syrian resources.

It is time for days of warmth in a normal U.S.-Syrian relationship.