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Miliband mission to bring Syria out of diplomatic cold
Ed Harris18.11.08
David Miliband said today that next year would be "an important year" in the Middle East as he emerged from talks with Syria's president.
The Foreign Secretary said his talks with Bashar al-Assad had focused on achieving comprehensive peace in the region. He was also hoping to bring Syria in from its international isolation.
"We all now have choices to make on how to fulfil comprehensive peace," said Mr Miliband, whose talks in Damascus are the first by a British foreign secretary since 2000.
Relations between the West and Damascus have been strained by US accusations that Syria has turned a blind eye to Islamist fighters infiltrating Iraq. But diplomatic contacts between Europe - notably France and Britain - and Damascus have increased in recent months.
The declining intensity of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq, and the impending arrival at the White House of Barack Obama, has prompted Britain to put out diplomatic feelers. On a visit to London today, Israeli president Shimon Peres said that making peace with Syria depended on whether Damascus was prepared to rein in Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Mr Peres told BBC radio that Syria could not expect Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights while Iran furthered its influence in Lebanon with the help of Syria. Israel would not tolerate an Iranian presence on its border, he said.
Reader views (2)
Is Milliband going to save Labour? He seem to be more of a leader than the rest of them put together?
- Stuart, Luton, UK
Syria needs confrontation to unite the country and divert attention from its own political and human rights shortcomings.
How they must enjoy 'boy' Milliband sucking up to them as if they could be genuine partners to a Peace process.
Syria is an agent state of Iran, which has sworn to destroy Israel. What part of this equation does Milliband not understand?
- Stephen Rothbart, Prague, Czech Republic
