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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Barack Obama to 'Jerusalem Post': I'll support Israel-Syria talks |
| 2008-05-23 |
| Leading Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told The Jerusalem Post that he would fully back Israel's peace talks with Syria and criticized efforts to block such engagement. "I am encouraged that Israel and Syria have renewed peace talks and fully support Israel's efforts to advance peace with all its neighbors," he said in statement e-mailed to the Post. "I have consistently said that the United States must stand ready to help Israel achieve peace with its neighbors and should not block Israel from the negotiating table, nor force it to negotiate." His statements emphatically welcoming Wednesday's surprise announcement of Israeli-Syrian talks contrasted with the reception offered by Bush administration officials, who provided a tepid response and noted the US was not involved in the ongoing indirect contacts, which are being brokered by Turkey. The campaign of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain offered a reaction more in line with that of the current White House occupants, though emphasizing Israel's independence as Obama did. "Senator McCain's view is that the sovereign government of Israel should be free to make its own decisions on how best to defend Israel and whether to engage in negotiations," said Randy Scheunemann, the campaign's director of foreign policy and national security, who wouldn't comment on the potential for an American role in the talks. The campaign of Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, though, stressed the need for America to support Israel's diplomatic overtures. "It is incumbent on the United States to support Israel in its efforts to make peace with its Arab neighbors. It is in America's strategic interest to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, and it's a fulfillment of our commitment to Israel's security and well-being, living in peace with its neighbors," said Lee Feinstein, the campaign's director of national security. "As Hillary Clinton has said before, when she is president, she will, once again, make working to resolve conflict in the Middle East a priority." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #6 How about an ounce of preemption. Don't make Obamessiah a POTUS. Problem solved. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2008-05-23 12:24 |
| #5 You can't talk with or negotiate with someone who already has their minds made up. BO must not take Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at his word--height of dangerous naivette. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-05-23 12:19 |
| #4 To bad we don't have a clip of the idiot senator (but I repeat myself) from back in the day saying "If I only could have talked to Hitler." Has there ever been any evidence that the thugocracies of the ME have lived up to any agreement at all? Please tell me cause I can't think of one. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2008-05-23 09:06 |
| #3 correction - should read Syria will turn from IRANIAN policy on Israel |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-05-23 09:01 |
| #2 certainly Israel has the right to make peace with its neighbors, and that offers some big upside prospects for the US, if Syria can be turned away from Iran. The admins concern, as I see it, is that Syria will turn from Syrian policy on ISRAEL, but will continue to cooperate with Iran on the internal situation in Lebanon. Which is not only about the Leb-Israel relationship, despite what some think. Thats a perfectly legitimate concern for the administration to have, and one they have the right to express as israel pursues negotiations. While this is a nice domestic political opportunity for Obama, a chance to sound more pro-Israel than the admin (without pissing off ultradoves in his base) if and when he becomes president he will have to deal with the situation in Lebanon. To abandon Lebanon will piss off the Saudis, Egyptians, and French. Maybe Obama thinks he can save Lebanon through a deal with Iran. Im skeptical myself. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-05-23 09:00 |
| #1 As contingency vv anti-Israeli ME proliferations, ISRAEL desires membership in NATO [EU?], inclusion in US-led GMD-TMD, pro-Western "regime change" in Iran, + pro-Peace/West in GAZA = PA State. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-05-23 00:31 |