Obama woos Syria in push for peace

The Times ^ | 6/7/2009 | Sarah Baxter in Washington and Uzi Mahnaimi

[bruinbirdman]

BARACK OBAMA’S special envoy to the Middle East is to visit Syria this week after the president said “the moment is now” to push for peace.

Former senator George Mitchell’s expected visit follows a fortnight’s intensive diplomatic wooing of Syria in the hope of splintering its alliance with Iran.

There has been no official confirmation of Mitchell’s trip, but one State Department official said he was “95% sure” that Syria was on the itinerary: “The president is committed to comprehensive peace. The initiative follows Obama’s ground-breaking speech last week in Cairo, which impressed his audience but left the Arab world wondering whether he would act on his words. Yesterday the president said he hoped to see “serious, constructive negotiations” by the end of the year on creating a Palestinian state.

Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, helped to smooth Mitchell’s path in a personal telephone call to Walid al-Moualem, the Syrian foreign minister, last week and promised to develop a “road map” for thawing Washington’s relations with Damascus.

Obama demanded that Israel halt the construction of settlements on Palestinian land, but he avoided repeating Clinton’s stronger language that this be without exception - “not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions”, she said - which has left him little room for diplomacy.

“What if they don’t take more land but build up and put another storey on a building? The administration has put itself in a difficult position,” said David Schenker, a former Pentagon official now based at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The demand for an outright settlement freeze has put Obama on a collision course with Binyamin Netanyahu, the right-wing Israeli prime minister. “There will be no agreement on this unless the Americans soften their stance,” a source close to Netanyahu

[rbmillerjr]

“George Mitchell’s expected visit follows a fortnight’s intensive diplomatic wooing of Syria in the hope of splintering its alliance with Iran”

BWaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

“nice speech Barak....yo Iran....no more soup for you”

[bruinbirdman]

"John Kerry, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, has been acting as an intermediary between Syria and the White House. He and Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, dined in Damascus with their wives in February and have reportedly kept in touch by telephone. With so many political heavyweights involved, Clinton’s role has become squeezed. "

When it comes to a record of hating America, John Kerry's goes back a long way.

yitbos

[tina07]

Jon Carry = TRAITOR

[cookcounty]

"Obama demanded that Israel halt the construction....."

So....I thought that the US wasn't going to dictate.....

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266051/posts

“More undeclared uranium discovered in Syria”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3726884,00.html ^ | Published: 06.05.09, 21:56 / Israel News | (REUTERS) via YNET NEWS.com
Posted on June 6, 2009 1:16:03 AM PDT by Cindy

[Cindy]

http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

#

http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/iran_e007.htm

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC)

May 5, 2009

“Iran and Syria as state sponsors of terrorism in the annual report
on terrorism issued by the US Department of State”

#

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1896790,00.html

“Despite U.S. Outreach, Syria Affirms Iran Ties”
By ANDREW LEE BUTTERS
Thursday, May. 07, 2009

[Cindy]

ping

[MestaMachine]

Golan? Going once,going twice....

[myknowledge]

If you were POTUS, would Israel be the sole Middle Eastern country you pay a visit to?

Why am I asking this question? I remember the Zero during his campaign for POTUS at some point nearly a year ago say that he be a friend, albeit a critical friend of Israel.

Today, he has displayed is true colors in a brilliantly backstabbing fashion, paying visits to Israel’s Arab enemies.

[Cindy]

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3730449,00.html

US Mideast envoy arrives in Syria
Published: 06.12.09, 21:39 / Israel News

US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell arrived in Damascus Friday night, as part of his regional tour. (AFP)

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 6/06/2009.

Thanks bruinbirdman.

[Zero's] special envoy to the Middle East is to visit Syria this week after the president said "the moment is now" to push for peace. Former senator George Mitchell's expected visit follows a fortnight's intensive diplomatic wooing of Syria in the hope of splintering its alliance with Iran... The president is committed to comprehensive peace. The initiative follows Obama's ground-breaking speech last week in Cairo, which impressed his audience but left the Arab world wondering whether he would act on his words. Yesterday the president said he hoped to see "serious, constructive negotiations" by the end of the year on creating a Palestinian state... Obama demanded that Israel halt the construction of settlements on Palestinian land, but he avoided repeating Clinton's stronger language that this be without exception -- "not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions", she said -- which has left him little room for diplomacy. "What if they don't take more land but build up and put another storey on a building? The administration has put itself in a difficult position," said David Schenker... at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

[Eleutheria5]

Now, now, Basher. Put the nice demonstrators down—No! Not down that ravine! OK. There are a few left alive, so we can say that we’ve made progress. So what about making piece with Israel. They’ll give you back the Golan if I put Stupid Juice in Bibi’s coffee and hit him on the head with a sledge hammer.