Posted on 01/08/2005 9:19:18 AM PST by rface
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -
Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry met Saturday with Syria's president and said he was hopeful that strained U.S.-Syrian relations could be improved, provided Washington seized "a moment of opportunity" currently available in the Middle East.
The United States has accused Syria of doing too little to stop insurgents from infiltrating into Iraq to attack coalition forces. Washington also has imposed sanctions on Damascus, accusing it of seeking weapons of mass destruction and hosting Palestinian groups Washington deems to be terrorist organizations.
Syria denies the accusations but says it cannot fully control its long, porous border with Iraq.
Sen. Kerry, D-Mass., met for two hours with President Bashar Assad and then with Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa, with both meetings centering on Iraq and how to prevent militants from moving from Syria into neighboring Iraq.
"I think we found a great deal of areas of mutual interest, some common concerns and some possibilities for initiatives that could be taken in the future to strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and Syria," Kerry told reporters after meeting with al-Sharaa.
"I leave here with a sense that we can improve our relationship. There are significant possibilities, particularly with the elections in Iraq and the elections in the West Bank ... This is the moment of opportunity for the Middle East, for the U.S. and for the world. I hope that we would seize that opportunity."
Assad stressed "the importance of dialogue between the two sides over all issues under discussion, especially those of common interest," Syria's official news agency reported.
Kerry said he and Assad discussed Iraq, security, Lebanon and weapons of mass destruction.
In September, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and dismantle the Syrian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla group. Syria, with some 14,000 troops stationed in Lebanon, is the main power broker in that country.
More recently, President Bush has warned Syria and Iran against "meddling" in the internal affairs of Iraq. Washington and Baghdad both have said that key support for the insurgency in Iraq was coming from a half brother of Saddam Hussein and Baath Party leaders based in Syria.
Kerry, who is on a two-week tour of the Middle East, arrived Friday from Iraq, where he met U.S. troops in the volatile northern city of Mosul, the scene of a suicide bombing last month on a military base that killed 22 people, including 14 U.S. soldiers and three American contractors.
Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will be in the West Bank for Sunday's Palestinian election and is expected to visit a polling place.
After Kerry left the Foreign Ministry on Saturday, 13-year-old Mustafa al-Nabulsi approached him with a drawing of the senator as a soldier in his Vietnam days.
"You have made me much more important than I was, though. You made me a general," Kerry said.
"I wish you were the president," al-Nabulsi said.
"Thank you very much. So do I," Kerry said.
Seen it. They got it on display in Damascus in the second oldest mosque in the world. The Pope saw it to.
he is only an elitist snob....I wonder why he still lists Massachusetts as his home and not DC, ala the other snob Dasschole
Since he is a "U.S." Senator, why can't all we citizens of the U.S. sign a recall petition? Maybe if we could get millions of signatures we could shut him up at least.
yeah....
I will have to question his judgement then...
I wonder if Tehran is next?
Damn, Just Damn!
If, however, they do take Kerry seriously, then more Americans will be killed in Iraq as a direct result of this arrogant fool's (Kerry's) actions. I resent the very existence of Kerry much more now then when I first met him in 1963. And I didn't like him a lot, then.
Congressman Billybob
Yep, doing the same thing over again.
So now Kerry's running for Secretary of State.
As if it wasn't bad enough already, now he's added Carter's international interventionist ineptitude to his bag of tricks.
Why is it his type always flock to terrorist states? Before Hussein fell, the left couldn't resist having their pictures taken with him, toothy smile from ear to ear.
"Oh look ma, here I am with the killer of millions. Don't I look swell!"
Good night John BOY! (or better yet, child)
Kerry: "Please, Mr. Assad, be nice to us."
Assad: "Yeah (chuckle) sure, your pleading (chuckle) has really warmed my heart."
(All of Syrian cabinet falls over laughing)
Be very glad El Hombre Tejas won this past election. We need to strike fear into the hearts of people like Assad.
Regards, Ivan
Remember the thing he said during the campaign?
"I don't know what I'm going to find when I am elected."
"I didn't think he [Bush] was going to f*** it up that bad."
"I'll reach out to the entire world [UN] before I do anything."
This idiot is so delusional, he may think he is ACTUALLY being inaugurated on Jan. 20, and is one of those "I believe" posters PJComix has in the DUmmie FUnnies.
Oh crap!! I didn't know that he was in Vietnam. That changes the whole thing. I might have considered him if I only had known.
If he's one of the Two Witnesses (which I kind of suspect), I can just imagine the thing starting to sprout arms and legs some day.
Hey thanks for that China thread. I was looking for it to bookmark. :)
Birds of a feather...
Moral relativists one and all...
I certainly hope you are correct - my fear is that he will continue to behave like "the President in exile". This will be embarassing and weaken the West at a time when we must remain as united as possible.
Regards, Ivan
"Thank you very much. So do I," Kerry said.
EWWW! Tongues sloshing and all!
He is SOOOO gearing up for a 2008 campaign.
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