WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- Ignoring a Bush administration ban on opening diplomatic channels with Syria, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flew to the Syrian capital, Damascus, for a meeting with President Bashar Assad.
Pelosi, who is the third-ranking U.S. official after the president and vice president, brushed off strong criticism from the White House that she was undermining U.S. foreign policy.
So far, U.S. foreign policy toward Syria has consisted of shunning the regime in Damascus -- one that despite Washington's likes and dislikes remains a key player in the Middle East.
In fact, Pelosi is not the first member of the U.S. government to ignore President George W. Bush's edict regarding Syria. Several members of Bush's own Republican Party took the road to Damascus, as recommended by the Iraq Study Group's report, co-chaired by James Baker III and Lee Hamilton.
Although diplomatic relations were not severed with Damascus, the Bush administration put a stop to any exchanges it might have had with Syria after the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Although it remains to be proven who was responsible for Hariri's death, the Lebanese government, the Bush administration and the European Union have all pointed fingers at Damascus.
Since then, the Bush administration has repeatedly accused the Syrian government of supporting terrorist groups. Indeed, the Syrian government is host to several groups considered by Washington to engage in terrorist activities.
Among them are the political leadership of Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian resistance movement that operates mainly in Gaza; the leadership of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, which has managed to maintain some military infrastructure in southern Lebanon; and the Lebanese Shiite movement, Hezbollah, which remains high on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.
Furthermore, Washington accuses Damascus of working to overthrow the legitimately and democratically elected government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and to try and replace it with one that would be more sympathetic towards Damascus.
The top-ranking Democrat on Capitol Hill brushed off the White House criticism, saying dialogue with Syria was key to solving the Iraq and Lebanon crises.
Syria, despite its involvement with groups considered to engage in terrorism by the United States and Israel, retains one of the principle keys to any Middle East solution. Syria has never accepted the loss of the Golan Heights to Israel, the territory Israel occupied during the June 1967 war. So long as the Golan remains under Israeli occupation, Syria will continue to maintain its current policies, often seen as destabilizing by Washington.
Addressing a news conference on the White House lawn just as Pelosi's plane was entering Syrian airspace, President Bush said the speaker's trip to Syria sent "mixed signals" that undermine U.S.-led efforts to isolate the Syrian president.
"Photo opportunities and/or meetings with President Assad lead the Assad government to believe they're part of the mainstream of the international community, when, in fact, they're a state sponsor of terror," said Bush.
In Syria, where the regime of President Assad has been trying -- unsuccessfully -- to make overtures to Washington, Pelosi's visit was welcomed by the state-controlled media. It's a "positive" development, reflected one paper, calling Pelosi a "brave lady."
Another paper, Tishreen, didn't mince words, describing U.S. policy in the Middle East -- particularly the war in Iraq and Washington's relations with Damascus -- as "a fiasco" in need of repair.
Syria has been eager to initiate a dialogue with the United States, Syrian Ambassador Imad Mustapha told United Press International recently, but all attempts at defusing the tension between Washington and Damascus were repulsed by the White House, the State Department and the Department of Defense.
Syria's official Tishreen said Pelosi can now discover for herself that "the Syrian hand is extended for serious and honest dialogue with American officials" and see the real picture of the country.
The newspaper praised her for seeking dialogue with Damascus, saying it is important to reach a common understanding that could help resolve crises in the region. "Ms. Pelosi will herself sense the truth of the Syrian position and its seriousness in resolving all pending problems towards balance and security in the region, as well as establishing constructive and fruitful relations with the United States," it said.
The paper stressed that Syria constantly affirms that dialogue, not boycott, is the way to reach understanding and healthy ties. "The hope remains high with the results of the visits and dialogue, and Ms. Pelosi, who is welcomed in Syria, can contribute in rectifying the position and regaining balance in American-Syrian ties," it said.
Pelosi's visit may well help thaw icy relations with Damascus, but for her visit to be successful, any breach made by the speaker's diplomatic efforts will need to be followed up by the administration. Chances of that happening are rather slim.
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