Washington Balances Syria Engagement with Commitment to Lebanese Allies
By David Schenker
A few days ago, the State Department announced it would meet with Syrian Ambassador to Washington Imad Mustapha. The Syrian envoy had largely been ignored by the Bush Administration since the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri in 2005. It will be Mustapha’s highest-level administration meeting in years.
The meeting with the Syrian ambassador follows closely on two Obama Administration overtures toward Syria—the licensing of spare parts for Syrian Airlines Boeing 747 airplanes and allowing the transfer of $500,000 in charity to a Syrian charity affiliated with President Asad’s wife, Asma.
With Lebanese parliamentary elections set for June, Washington’s initial foray into engagement highlights the challenge of how to balance diplomatic outreach to Damascus with its ongoing commitment to allies in Beirut.
I’ve written a piece on this issue for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy which can be found here.
