Sanctions renewed, but Syria understands
By Sami Moubayed
DAMASCUS - Special envoy of the United States to the Middle East George
Mitchell is due to visit Damascus during his next trip to the region, in June.
If anything, this proves that dialogue between Syria and the US is alive,
despite reports in the Western press that things are not as rosy as they seem
after President Barack Obama renewed sanctions on Syria, which were due to
expire on May 10.
The renewal of sanctions, imposed by former president George W Bush in 2004,
was not a surprise for the Syrians, who immediately dismissed it as a routine
procedure. Far from being surprised, they realize that once sanctions become
embedded in
US law, it becomes very difficult to do away with them.
Even if he so wished, Obama could not write off the sanctions, although he can
turn a blind eye to some of them, as he has done this year. Shortly after
assuming office, he allowed Boeing to sell spare parts to Syrian Airways and
approved the channeling of funds from Syrian donors in the US to a
non-governmental organization that assists children with cancer.
The sanctions include the withdrawal of the US ambassador from Syria, a ban on
Syrian flights to the US and a ban on US exports to Syria, except for food and
medicine.
A best-case scenario would have been for Obama to reduce sanctions - taking off
some items authorized by Bush - in anticipation of removing them altogether,
once peace is achieved between Syria and Israel. Until that happens, sanctions
will only be removed in full if Syria cuts off its relationship with Hamas in
Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Damascus stresses cannot be done as
long as the Golan Heights remain occupied by Israel.
In practice, Obama can begin reducing sanctions once a peace process is
launched or when his administration begins its own low-level talks with both
military groups, through Damascus. Syria's relationship with Iran is no longer
a problem for the United States.
Contrary to Bush, who saw the Syrian-Iranian alliance as a threat, Obama sees
it as an asset and wants to invest in Syria's considerable influence with the
Iranians. He has tried, from day one, to turn a new leaf with Tehran, with
little luck. He thinks Syria can help him find common ground with Iran. Syria
is reasonable and don't have a history of anti-Americanism.
It has proven its ability to solve problems in the region, thanks to Syria's
excellent relationship with non-state players like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Damascus has already shown willingness to mediate on the Iranian nuclear file.
In the past, it helped secure the release of a British journalist from
captivity in Gaza. It also helped negotiate the release of British sailors
taken hostage by Iran, thanks to its influence in Tehran. This means Syria's
relationship with Iran is not a reason for renewed sanctions. The real reasons
are Hezbollah, Hamas and peace with Israel.
So the key to removing sanctions is peace, which Syria stresses cannot be done
so long as the Golan Heights remain occupied. Last week, Jordan's King Abdullah
went to Damascus to discuss regional peace with President Bashar al-Assad.
On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is due in Damascus for the
same purpose, followed on Friday by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, whose
country sponsored indirect Syria-Israel peace negotiations in 2008. Abdullah is
touring Arab capitals with a peace proposal put forth to him by Obama, who
visited Turkey in April.
Speaking to The Times of London, the Jordanian monarch spoke of a "57-state
solution", claiming that a third of the world - 57 countries in the United
Nations - does not recognize Israel. The new peace initiative would not only
include member states in the Arab League, but the entire Muslim world - all 57
countries.
Israel would have to freeze settlement expansion and restore occupied
territory, such as the Golan Heights to Syria and the Sheba Farms to Lebanon. A
Palestinian state would need to be established, while the status of Jerusalem
would be set aside for later negotiations. The King of Jordan noted that if
rapid progress was not made, war could break out in the region within 18 months
to two years.
That probably explains why Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad came to
Damascus last week, shortly after two US officials made the trip to the Syrian
capital. It also explains why Mitchell is coming in early June and why Abbas
and Gul arrive this week. Peace is in the air - regardless of the renewed
sanctions - and it is a golden opportunity for the Middle East.
There is one main obstacle, the hardline government of Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Both have repeatedly
said that they are not interested in peace with the Syrians, despite the Syrian
commitment to the “land-for-peace” formula adopted at the Madrid Peace
Conference.
Last Thursday, Netanyahu told a group of Russian reporters that Israel would
never withdraw from the Golan Heights. King Abdullah noted, however: "The
Syrians definitely see the benefit of peace negotiations with Israel ... I
think that this regional approach that Obama is looking at and which is
endorsed by all of us, of getting all three of them at the table at the same
time, sends a powerful message to Israel and a powerful commitment to solving
the Lebanese and Syrian problems at the same time. There is hope now that it's
a win-win situation for everyone. What's good for the Palestinians is good for
the Syrians, is good for the Lebanese."
If the 57-state solution is to become a reality - and the Golan restored to
Syria - then Obama will have a decisive role to play when he meets Netanyahu in
Washington on May 18 - the first meeting for both men since each assumed
leadership of their country in 2009.
Only Obama will be able to make the 57-state solution a reality, by calling for
an international peace conference, under his chairmanship, dedicated to
discussing peace in the Middle East.
Sami Moubayed is editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine in Syria.
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