Syria Softening Refusal on Peace Summit

Associated Press via Yahoo News ^ | November 22, 2007 | ZEINA KARAM

[america4vr]

Syria is softening its refusal to attend the Annapolis peace conference and already has won dividends, including a visit from Jordan's king that marked an end to regional isolation. But as it bends, it risks alienating Palestinian militants and its ally Iran.

Syria was unlikely to announce a final decision on whether it will go to the conference until after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers to be held in Cairo on Friday to map out a joint strategy.

Publicly, Syrian officials have said Syria would not go unless its demands for the return of the Golan Heights, seized by Israel in 1967, are addressed.

State-run newspapers, which reflect government thinking, continued Wednesday to criticize the conference, calling it "suspicious."

But intense diplomatic activity toward Damascus and comments made by President Bashar Assad this week suggest that possible deals to secure Syrian attendance might be worked out behind the scenes. On Monday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he believed Syria's foreign minister would attend.

At a meeting of Syria's leadership Monday, Assad said the region is witnessing

[america4vr]

Syria will attend because the goodwill it generates is simply too much for Bashar, former English optician, to turn down, its relationship with Iran expendable at the right price.

If, and that's a big IF, if they can leverage as many peace concessions as possible out of the west PLUS return of the Golan then it'll be good-bye Mullahs.