Britain asks Syria for help in Iraq

[ECH1969]

Britain held official talks with Syria for the first time since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in an effort to press Damascus to support U.S.-led coalition attempts to quash sectarian violence in the neighboring state, officials said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Tony Blair sent his top foreign policy adviser, Nigel Sheinwald, for the talks Monday with Syrian President Bashar Assad and senior ministers, said Nicola Davies, the British Embassy spokeswoman in Damascus.

Dennis Ross, a former U.S. Mideast envoy, said the talks were a significant step, but cautioned against exaggerated hopes of a shift in relations between Syria and the West.

"Syria had always faced a choice: It can play a constructive role in international affairs or it can continue to support terrorism," Blair's official spokesman said. "The key question is what choice does it make?"

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0611020232nov02,1,3690664.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

[NOLADEM]

1. My irony meter just exploded, and then the pieces exploded

Is this part of the PNAC plan? To bait the rest of their war dream into Iraq if they can't bamboozle the American public into supporting the invasion of Syria and Iran?

I gotta sit down.

Inviting Syria (and soon Iran) into Iraq to stabilize it? Nah. More like to use Baghdad as the scene in the new war epic our embeds will soon be hearing from the Green Zone.

[grytpype]

2. Wow, they must really be desperate.

There's no way Blair is doing this without orders from Bush. Think about that for a second.

[Eugene]

3. Guardian: Blair's Syrian peace initiative fails to impress

Blair's Syrian peace initiative fails to impress


· Israel and US sceptical of progress from envoy's trip
· Labour conference lunch prompted mission

Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor
Thursday November 2, 2006
The Guardian

The governments of Israel and the US responded coolly yesterday to Tony Blair's
secret diplomatic initiative to urge Syria to restart Middle East peace talks.
Mr Blair, who has pledged to devote the remainder of his premiership to tackling
the region's conflict, sent his senior envoy, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, to meet the
Syrian president in Damascus on Monday.

Shimon Peres, Israel's deputy prime minister, said in London: "I wouldn't like
to make any remarks about British movements (but) I'm sceptical, not because
of Britain but because of the Syrians."

-snip-

The White House also distanced itself from Mr Blair's initiative. Tony Snow,
George Bush's press secretary, said the administration was concerned over what
it called mounting evidence that Syria and Iran were joining Hizbullah to try to
topple the Lebanese government through demonstrations, violence and threats
against Lebanese leaders.

The White House, responding to calls to engage with Syria and Iran, reiterated
last week that it had no plans to open a dialogue with either Damascus or Tehran.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/syria/story/0,,1937153,00.html

[Wednesdays]

4. And Assad actually listened to their question with a straight face?

:rofl: