Feltman: U.S. Ties with Syria Promising…but Face Problems, Particularly over Hizbullah
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said relations with Syria are getting out of the "deep freeze" that has prevailed since the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a massive Beirut bombing.
"The current relationship with Syria is promising, yet it faces problems. It is promising on the one hand because there are a lot of areas where the U.S. and Syria can work together in order to achieve objectives of common interests," Feltman said in an interview with pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, published on Thursday.
"However, some of the key issues that have contributed to the freezing of relations continue to pose problems," Feltman explained. "We simply do not agree with Syria on the nature of Hizbullah, be it (Hizbullah) a positive or a negative impact on the security of the region."
He said that while Syria defends Hizbullah, Washington still considers the Shiite party a terrorist organization.
"This is a very serious matter. We have different views on this issue," Feltman added.
"But I don”t want to focus on the negatives right now," he stressed. "I believe that there is a possibility of real cooperation on issues of bilateral interest."
Feltman refused to link between the International Tribunal set to try suspects in the Hariri murder and ties with Damascus, calling on everyone to support the work of the court.
"Let us consider the situation now: There is a Special Tribunal for Lebanon dealing with the assassination case of Rafik Hariri. This is apart from U.S.-Syrian bilateral relations," he clarified.
"We must all work to support the STL, but this is an issue separate from bilateral relations," Feltman stressed.