Syrian leader: Mideast talks only to help Obama

[Francesca9]

Source: Times of India

Syrian President Bashar Assad offered dim hopes on Saturday for any success in Middle East peace talks, saying the White House is only using its mediation between Israelis and Palestinians to score political points in the United States.

The comments by Assad _ making a one-day visit to Tehran _ followed talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is one of Israel's arch-foes. Both leaders pledged to support "resistance" in the region, an apparent reference to Palestinian militants and others opposing Israel...

Assad said the current attempt at dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians have brought "no change" and claimed that President Barack Obama only seeks a political boost.

Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syrian-leader-Mideast-talks-only-to-help-Obama/articleshow/6673970.cms

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Hard to know if this is really true. Could be I suppose.

Nothing involving Israel is simple.

[ingac70]

1. That whole area is a waste of time. n/t

[FrenchieCat]

2. And I should believe the Syrian President, because?

I have no doubt that Pres. Barack Obama is working towards ME peace,
as there is nothing to be gained otherwise.

politically, not achieving ME peace doesn't help anyone.

[Chulanowa]

4. Becuase asshole that he may be, Assad isn't totally full of shit

In fact the Syrians have been knocking out the most obvious points about this whole farce for several decades now, which is why it's utterly imperitive for the US to keep them waiting outside.

No US president has ever made an honest effort for middle eastern peace. I harbor severe doubts that this will ever change. The thing is, in order to achieve peace i nthe region, the US will have to realize that non-Israelis actually have valid opinions and grievances. Since Arabs do not have a massive and wealthy lobby on US shores and the Palestinians do not have lucrative MIC contracts with american corporations, the realization that people to the east of the green line are valid human beings will be a long one coming in the halls of our government.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[blm]

12. Problem number ONE is that HRC is NOT considered an honest broker by leaders there

especially after she and Bill both used their voices the past decade to side with Bush's worldview, and ESPECIALLY when they joined his baseless attack on Syria.

When the warhawk was tapped for Sec of State, Bill had to take down a blog post he had written that wrongly BLASTED Syria and supported use of military force, which was exactly what Bush wanted.

Clinton's rant against Syria and Assad was posted several times here at DU before it was taken down.

[Pirate Smile]

3. President Obama began working on this right away instead of waiting until the last year he is in

office like both Clinton and Bush did. The problem is that Bibi got in right after Obama was inaugurated - and Bibi had to align with the far Right nutbags in order to form a government.

The idea that President Obama gets a political "boost" at home from working on this issue is rather ridiculous. Haven't we all seen the huge amounts of praise and glory he gets from pushing this? Oh, that's right, no, we haven't.

[caledesi]

6. Well said PS! nt

[Kringle]

5. M.E. peace talks --> just a circus

Assad is correct

[Cirque du So-What]

8. An overabundance of short memories, it appears

So willingly do some of you disregard the Camp David Peace Accords, conducted under the auspices of Democratic president Jimmy Carter, and the enduring cessation of hostilities between Egypt & Israel. It's all too simplistic to merely throw up one's hands & declare the situation hopeless; I'm surprised some of you actually mustered the energy to break through your apathetic worldview & tippy-tap out your expressions of hopelessness. Perpetually dwelling in the land of doom & gloom really does a number on the spirit, yunno.

[WilliamPitt]

9. Hm

The president is getting clobbered for spending time on issues other than the economy...so time spent on Mideast peace talks *helps* him?

Methinks Mr. Assad doesn't really understand the current dynamics of American politics.

[Kolesar]

11. Yes, and Assad is probably talking to the power groups at home to keep his popularity up

It is lazy politics when a leader knows there is no downside to trashing another government.

[karynnj]

10. He is conflating two things - the actual dim prospects and the fact that an agreement would

be an accomplishment for Obama.

Both are true, but they say nothing of motivation or that it would really change Obama's popularity in the US. Every US President for decades has tried for Middle Eastern peace and they are rewarded politically only when something actually works. Even then, the ONLY one who really got credit for a real step towards peace, Jimmy Carter, lost re-election.

The reason every US President has tried to broker peace is that hostilities there negatively impact our foreign policy over a pretty vast area. It and India/Pakistan are the two most significant powder kegs in the world. There are many things that a President could do in hopes of an easy political victory - this is not one of them. It is hard - and may not even be possible.

[Historic NY]

13. Are we sure Assad isn't really a closet Republican?