Region | Syria
Miliband stresses on Syrian help to solve simmering Mideast issues
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband arrived in Damascus on Tuesday for talks with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and Foreign Minister Walid Mua'alem.
- By Sami Moubayed, Correspondent
- Published: 23:40 November 18, 2008
- Syrian President Bashar Al Assad (right) welcomes Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband at Al Sha'ab Presidential Palace in Damascus on Tuesday.
- Image Credit: EPA
Damascus: British Foreign Secretary David Miliband arrived in Damascus on Tuesday for talks with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and Foreign Minister Walid Mua'alem.
The visit is the first one by a senior British official since 2001, signalling a new start in Syria-Britain relations, which have been strained since the occupation of Iraq in 2003.
Miliband noted: "We have been consistently emphasising the importance of Syrian cooperation on all four of those dossiers" and acknowledged Syrian cooperation on border security with Iraq.
Miliband, who had hosted Mua'alem in London in October, hailed Syria's "new approach" to dealing with Middle East problems, saying: "I think it is important for us to find ways for Syria to play a constructive role in the future of the Middle East. Syria is a secular state in the Middle East. It has the potential to play a stabilising role in the region."
The Secretary added: "In a significant way, there has been an important change in the approach of the Syrian government, notably the historic decision to exchange ambassadors with Lebanon."
Miliband, 44, expressed his support for Damascus's efforts to strike a peace deal with Israel. "We welcome the four rounds of talks that have taken place ... and we hope that they will be taken forward with new force," Miliband said after meeting Al Assad.
David W. Lesch, a Syria expert who teaches at Trinity College in the US and has authored a biography of President Al Assad, told Gulf News: "I think the election of Barack Obama has cleared the way for Britain - and others - to pursue more overtly a policy of engagement with Damascus."
- With inputs from agencies
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