| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| US reaching out to Syrian opposition |
| 2005-03-27 |
| The Bush administration is stepping up contacts with the Syrian opposition amid concerns that unrest in Lebanon could cause wider instability, administration officials said on Saturday. Senior U.S. officials involved in Middle East policymaking met in Washington on Thursday with prominent Syrian Americans, including political activists, community leaders, academics and an opposition group. "White House officials were present," said a White House official who confirmed the meeting took place. Representatives from other departments, including State and Defense, took part. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview with the Washington Post published on Saturday that the administration was reaching out to as many people as possible on developments in Syria and Lebanon. Administration officials want to ensure that the U.S. government is prepared in the event of a sudden political upheaval. The Post reported that the administration was reaching out because of growing concerns that unrest in Lebanon could spill over and suddenly destabilize Syria, which borders four countries pivotal to U.S. Middle East policy -- Israel, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey. "What we're trying to do is to assess the situation so that nobody is blindsided, because events are moving so fast and in such unpredictable directions that it is only prudent at this point to know what's going on," Rice told the Post. "So we're going to look at all the possibilities and talk to as many people as we possibly can," Rice said. U.S. officials denied the meeting was meant to coordinate efforts to oust the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Post reported. "That would be a monumental distortion," a senior State Department official was quoted as saying. The official said the meeting discussed support for reform and change in the region, including Syria, and "how we can help that and work with people in the region and Syria to support that process." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 And the contacts with the Iraqi "opposition" turned out SO well. |
| Posted by: gromky 2005-03-27 11:54:50 PM |