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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| US, Syrian diplomats meet in bid to improve strained ties |
| 2009-02-27 |
| US and Syrian diplomats met here Thursday in a bid to improve strained ties between their countries although Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said prospects for a warming are not yet clear. Syria's ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, met for nearly two hours with Jeffrey Feltman, the State Department's top diplomat for the Middle East at the request of the US to discuss ways to repair damage to the relationship and possibly work together. The meeting was the first high-level US-Syrian session since September. After the discussion, Moustapha told reporters that his talks with Feltman had been "very constructive" and that he expected the meeting would be the first of many between US and Syrian officials in the coming months. "We believe that this meeting has explored possibilities between Syria and the United States to engage on a diplomatic and political level and also to discuss all issues of mutual concern," he said. "We think this is a first step and we believe there will be many further meetings." Earlier, Clinton, who was not expected to participate in the talks, described the meeting as routine but added it was too early to tell whether ties would improve. She stressed that the Obama administration was committed to engagement in the Middle East and promoting Arab-Israeli peace. "It is too soon to say what the future holds," she said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Agree to unite against the common enemy. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-02-27 05:25 |