Baker Met Syrian Envoys to Urge Cooperation Against Iraq Unrest
By Janine Zacharia
Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Former Secretary of State James Baker, co-chairman of the panel reviewing American policy in Iraq, met with Syrian officials to urge their cooperation in quelling the violent insurgency, Syria's envoy to the U.S. said.
Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha said in an interview that he met twice in Washington with the 10-member Iraq Study Group, the first time on Aug. 3. The group met in September in New York with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and Moustapha, he said.
His account of the meetings, which Baker's spokesman said was ``generally right,'' suggests the Iraq panel will recommend that President George W. Bush reverse current policy and engage in talks with the leadership in Damascus. In the New York session, Moustapha said, Baker cited his 1991 trip to ask then- President Hafez al-Assad to contribute forces to the Persian Gulf War, recounting how he had told Assad to look past the ``troubled history'' between the U.S. and Syria.
Syria believes it can play an important role in restoring stability because many Iraqis, particularly the Sunnis, ``have started looking at Syria as someone who can protect their interests,'' Moustapha said in the interview. He also cited Syria's close ties with anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al- Sadr, who he said frequently travels to Damascus, once for a two-week stay....
Syrian officials told the Iraq Study Group that the U.S. needs to announce a readiness to withdraw troops if Iraq is to be stabilized....
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=atOh9Z_G1TZI 
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