Saturday, November 18, 2006
Baker meets Syrian officials
Politics, International, Security
Former US secretary of state James Baker, who co-chairs a bipartisan group examining strategic options in Iraq, has met several times with Syrian officials to discuss how they might cooperate with the United States, The New York Times reported Saturday. Citing Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha, the newspaper said the meetings involved Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and took place in New York at the Waldorf-Astoria in September.
Moustapha described the meetings as "very promising" and said that Baker had asked the Syrian minister: "What would it take Syria to help on Iraq?" During a 45-minute interview at the Syrian embassy on Friday morning, the ambassador said he had arranged the New York meeting, also attended by other members of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, at Baker's request, the report said.
Separately, Ambassador Moustapha met twice with the study group in Washington, according to The Times. The ambassador would not provide specifics, but said he had told the study group "in detail what actual things we can do, and what are the things that we cannot do," the paper said. "We were very candid with each other," The Times quoted him as saying. "We explained to them why it is in our own national interest to try to help stabilize the situation in Iraq."
Moustapha described the meetings as "very promising" and said that Baker had asked the Syrian minister: "What would it take Syria to help on Iraq?" During a 45-minute interview at the Syrian embassy on Friday morning, the ambassador said he had arranged the New York meeting, also attended by other members of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, at Baker's request, the report said.
Separately, Ambassador Moustapha met twice with the study group in Washington, according to The Times. The ambassador would not provide specifics, but said he had told the study group "in detail what actual things we can do, and what are the things that we cannot do," the paper said. "We were very candid with each other," The Times quoted him as saying. "We explained to them why it is in our own national interest to try to help stabilize the situation in Iraq."
