"Ire over US Sanctions Causes Policy Review in Damascus"

Josh Landis, at Syria Comment, here

"...The Syrians are upset with the way sanctions were reimposed by Obama. The current administration’s use of language identical to that used by President Bush, without any phrases to soften the hostility and without referring to dialogue, progress, or anticipated improvements angered Syrian policy makers. Many are becoming ever more convinced that the Obama administration cannot bring about real change, but will fall back on the use of the same old sticks and intimidation techniques that President Bush favored. Officials have suggested that Damascus is reviewing its policies and does not know where the US-Syrian dialogue goes from here. No one whats to talk about the promised Mitchell visit as yet. They are still trying to digest the implications of Feltman-Shapiro visit last week.

The scheduled agenda for Feltman’s and Shapiro’s visit in Damascus last week was to implement a wide ranging agreement on intelligence sharing and security cooperation in Iraq, with joint patrols and other arrangements that could finally end border disputes and put a significant dent in smuggling across the long Syrian-Iraqi border. Today, no communications exist between officials on the two sides of the Iraqi-Syrian border, which often leads to security breaches, misunderstandings, and recriminations from both sides that the other is at fault for placing politics above security, ideology above the lives of common people, and posturing above the peace.

On Lebanon, the Americans expressed unsolicited gratification that the election preparations and campaigning was proceding in an atmosphere of freedom and security.

On the Golan and possible Peace talks with Israel, it is too early to say anything. Netanyahu has only reiterated his refusal to give up the Golan...."