09 March 2009

U.S. Envoys Meet with Syrian Officials

Talks were comprehensive and constructive, official says

Assistant Secretary Jeffrey Feltman, left, meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mualem in Damascus, Syria.

By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer

Washington — Representatives of the United States and Syria held comprehensive and constructive talks in Damascus, Syria, and found considerable common ground on an array of issues, a senior U.S. diplomat says.

Acting Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman and Daniel Shapiro, a senior director on the National Security Council, met with Syrian officials March 7, building on a February 26 meeting in Washington between Feltman and Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha. Feltman and Shapiro were sent by President Obama to open preliminary talks between the two countries, whose relations have been strained in recent years.

“It’s our view that we would be using engagement like this, consistent with the president and [Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s] desires, to meet key objectives bilaterally, regionally, internationally,” Feltman said in a conference call following his meetings in Damascus. “It’s our view that … Syria can play an important, constructive role in the region.”

Feltman is a former ambassador to Lebanon with extensive experience with Syria, and Shapiro was an adviser to Obama’s presidential campaign on Arab-Israeli affairs and had significant experience on the National Security Council under President Clinton.

Feltman and Shapiro met for more than three hours with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mualem, presidential adviser Bouthaina Chaban and Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. Following those meetings, Feltman said, he met privately with Mualem. The choice of with whom to meet was decided by the Syrians, he said.

Before going to Damascus, Feltman and Shapiro met with Secretary Clinton during her stops on a recent mission to the Middle East and Europe.

The key being sought in this opening with Syria is engagement, Feltman said. “We should be addressing with the Syrians areas of mutual concern. We have areas where our interests overlap; we have areas where our interests differ.”

While not going into specific details of the talks, Feltman said that on the Syrian-Israeli track, it has been clear that the United States wants a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace. “Comprehensive peace includes peace between Israel and all of its neighbors,” he said.

Syria has been having indirect peace talks with Israel that have been mediated by Turkey.

Feltman said that after the meeting in Damascus, he and Shapiro would go back to Beirut, Lebanon, for consultations with the Lebanese before going to Europe for consultations with French officials.

He said the United States does have concerns with Syria, but he also acknowledged that “I’m sure Syria has concerns with us. Today was an opportunity to start to raise some of these concerns with each other directly,” he said.

“You use engagement not to confirm where you agree, but you use engagement to try to start bridging differences where you don’t,” Feltman said.

A transcript of Feltman’s briefing is available on America.gov.

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