Paul Salem (as usual) has his apples and oranges a bit mixed .... it reminds me of that joke an 'influential' Arab ambassador in Washington told me about "consultants", the likes of our dear friend Paul ....and it reminds me of a meeting between A VERY influential head of a region's "Mukhabarat", with a former Agency guy, when the first coyly told the former Agency guy that "there are certain people (wink) in town who wants us to overly slip Tehran's way, a a bit too much for my taste." The Mukhabarati guy was sincere, but the Agency guy read a bit too much into it, as a storm was packing force. These were the good old days between that apparatus & the Agency, when for no sound reasons, the Washington nomenklatura decided to 'terminate' that relationship and go into an anomalous crescendo................. anyhow, the story, in McClatchy's, here
".....Salem, who recently spent time in Damascus talking to negotiators involved in the talks, said there is a growing unease among some Syrian leaders about the influence of Iran in the Middle East.
"Peace between Syria and Israel would cause a serious rupture in the Syrian-Iranian relationship as it would represent a fundamental parting of the ways," said Salem."
2 comments:
But he's a musical prodigy.
You have to hear his musical gem, Madinatunaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
The problem with 'experts' is that sometines they get their own 'environment' in their way of thinking. There is a fair amount of wishful thinking in Salem's assessment about the 'unease' in Syria. What he should realize is that the strategic alliance with Iran is 'strategic' and well rooted. Our information indicates that 'talks' with Israel via Turkey are in coordination with Iran. The Turks, for one thing, are not keen on antagonizing the Iranians. There is too much at stake.
The Syrian Israeli indirect talks are not likely to go anywhere, for someone who reads and understands Israeli politics. Israel's establishment and populace are adamantly against returning the Golan for peace. It is against their nature notwithstanding that the so called peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan are still cold peaces where 'normalization' is not that 'normal'. It is the nature of the Zionist ideology to be in a state of perpetual war, pretty much like the neoconservative thought that has plagued the US Administration during the Bush years. Anyway, it will be quite surprising to see this Administration reverting 180 degrees its stance on Syria and supporting discussions between Syria and Israel. It would be a total repudiation of almost eight years of foolishness, and it is not in the cards.
For once, the Arabs (here Syria) are playing the traditional game played before 1967 by Israel as a peace loving and seeking country while preparing for war. The tide has changed.
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