Observations on the Middle East
In the past month, Condoleezza Rice - the vigorous US secretary of state - darted around the Middle East to sell America's revised peace plan for Iraq and the region. During this latest round of shuttle diplomacy, she met with the Palestinian president, the Israeli prime minister and a quartet of would-be regional peacemakers.
At the same time, in an unrelated manoeuvre, a 30-strong Iraqi delegation, led by President Jalal Talabani, visited Damascus for talks with the Syrian government. The visit was patchily reported, maybe because the Bush administration has decided to ignore the Iraq Study Group's recommendations to engage with Syria. But its outcome may prove to be more significant than American efforts.
The meeting was historic. It was the first time in more than 25 years that an Iraqi president had travelled to neighbouring Syria. More importantly, the delegation, which included Sunni, Shia and Kurdish party representatives, signalled that Iraq's leaders could take matters into their own hands. Eighty per cent of the talks focused on Iraq's pressing security issues.
The west charges Syria with failing to prevent the flow of terrorists through its 600km border with Iraq and helping to tip the fragile security situation towards civil war.
But Damascus insists its efforts have been hampered by American blunders. According to officials, there are 6,000 Syrian checkpoints along the Iraq border and no US or Iraqi forces patrolling the other side, only US checkpoints further inland along Iraqi highways. Furthermore, in 2005 America enforced an embargo on Syria receiving new technology.
Umran al-Zauby, a political analyst close to the Syrian government, said the embargo ensured that Syria does not have the resources required to control the border. "Our government asked the UK for night-vision goggles for its border patrol troops, but America intervened and prevented Britain from supplying them," he said. "Even non-military technology like modern computing equipment is banned."
Syria is well placed to help solve Iraq's sectarian problem. Through its strong ties with former Ba'athists, it could influence parts of the Sunni camp, some of which are based in Damascus, and it has been building up relations with local tribesmen, who have links with their cousins in Iraq.
The precise details of the agreements signed by the Syrian government and the delegation were not made public, but Iraq's interior minister, Jawad al-Bolani, has said that they agreed to swap information, exchange people from both countries' "wanted lists" and curb infiltration.
The seeds were also sown for increased trade between the neighbouring countries and diplomatic ties were given a major boost: the two sides discussed the appointment of new ambassadors to Baghdad and Damascus.
In a final statement, President Talabani said that Syria was showing willingness to help Iraq achieve security and prosperity. Reopening the Iraqi oil pipeline, which passes through Syria, was also discussed.
Another matter of urgency is to resolve the refugee problem in Syria. Since the start of the war in 2003, more than 800,000 Iraqi refugees have been granted sanctuary in Syria. Many people believe the figure is higher because many Iraqis do not register with the authorities.
Staff at the Sheraton Hotel in central Damascus, cleaning up after the delegation, told me they were confident their Iraqi brothers had returned home happy. That is surely a bright spot in a relentlessly depressing landscape.
Peter Hall is a journalist living in Syria and editor of Syria Today
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