Assad urges US to rebuild diplomatic road to Damascus

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Source: Guardian UK

Assad urges US to rebuild diplomatic road to Damascus
In rare interview, Syrian leader calls on Obama to restore envoy and make good on promise of dialogue
Ian Black in Damascus
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 17 February 2009 18.34 GMT
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Syria expects the US to send an ambassador to Damascus soon to make good on Barack Obama's offer to engage in dialogue with countries the Bush administration shunned, President Bashar al-Assad told the Guardian today.

Assad used a rare newspaper interview to set out his hopes for a new relationship with the US now the Bush era is over – one he hopes will see Washington act as the "main arbiter" in the moribund Middle East peace process. "There is no substitute for the United States," Assad said.

Referring to Obama's call for countries to "unclench their fists" , Assad said he believed the new US president had been referring to Iran. "We never clenched our fist," he declared. "We still talked about peace even during the Israeli aggression in Gaza."

A US decision on whether to send an ambassador back to Damascus is part of a review Obama ordered on taking office. The US is attracted to the idea of engaging with Syria, seeing potential for bringing Assad in from the cold, helping with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and loosening Syria's close ties with Iran.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/17/assad-interview-syria-obama