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By Atul Aneja
The drop in the tough rhetoric from Washington towards Damascus in recent days may have resulted from Syrian activism to meet one of the key U.S. demands — handing over of some Iraqi fugitives who, it is suspected, crossed over into Syria to escape capture. While one such fugitive, the Republican Guards' Secretary, Kemal Mustafa, `surrendered' before the U.S. forces in Iraq on Sunday, some reports suggested that Syria might have played a role in facilitating his capture. The U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has reportedly handed over names of eight Iraqis that Washington believes had taken refuge in Syria. Diplomatic sources suggest that the Syrian side is expected to cooperate with the U.S. on this score incrementally. While Syrian exertions in handing over fugitives may ease tensions with the U.S. temporarily, they might not be enough to ward off a U.S. threat of war against it permanently. Exhorted by Israel, the U.S. is likely to pressure Damascus for meeting two of its other key demands. First, the U.S. has already hinted that
WMD issue
Syria might have taken custody of Iraqi mass destruction weapons, and, it now expects Damascus to return them. The U.S. is of the view that locating these Iraqi weapons is vital. Unless the alleged Iraqi mass destruction weapons are found, the war against Baghdad cannot be justified. But, Washington's inability to find unconventional weapons in Iraq, despite over three weeks of war is turning out to be major diplomatic embarrassment. It is however, unlikely that the Syrians will be receptive to this demand, the sources said. Second, the U.S. is expected to pressure Syria to close the alleged leadership sanctuaries for the anti-Israel Hezbollah fighters and members of the extremist Palestinian groups, Islamic Jihad and Hamas on its soil.
Call for diplomacy
A positive Syrian response to these demands is unlikely to materialise unless there is a quid pro quo from the Israeli side. Syria has been demanding the Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights that Israel occupied in 1967 and an agreement on sharing the area's waters fairly. Aware of the gap in perceptions, the Syrian Foreign Minister, Farouk al-Sharaa said his country wanted patient diplomacy and not heated exchanges with Washington. At a press conference with the visiting Spanish Foreign Minister, Ana Palacio, Mr. Al-Sharaa insisted his country was a stabilising factor in the region, and "if somebody in Washington or elsewhere thought the reverse he is mistaken.'' ``And if anyone will correct his or her position, this would be welcome because we are against continuing this politics of escalation in using tough words or harsh words,'' he observed. Mr. Al-Sharaa welcomed Gen. Powell's upcoming visit, saying it was part of a ``continuing dialogue between Syria and the United States for creating a better environment, especially after this war.'' Asked to comment on reports that the United States plans to maintain a military base in Iraq close to the Syrian border, Mr. Al-Sharaa said: "We can discuss anything. Between Syria and the United States there is a long agenda.''
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