Any dialogue with Syria is better than none

It is realpolitik in action: From the well choreographed joint press conference to his audience with the Queen, meeting Prince Charles, and a formal dinner with Lord Mayor at Mansion House. The visit to London by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, the first ever by a Syrian head of state, has aroused curious but interesting controversy.

When the Syrian president and British Prime Minister Tony Blair stood before mediapersons in Downing Street at the end of their talks on Monday, they both looked different men.

They have both aired their differences, but with concise points, polite manner and no one trying to lecture the other on his beliefs and values.

A year ago in Damascus, an uncomfortable row over the definition of terrorism completely overshadowed their joint news conference. The warming up of bilateral relations started over a year ago - long before Blair's visit to Damascus last year.

Officials tell Gulf News that during this period, personal emissaries have shuttled between the two capitals carrying messages from one leader to the other. That exchange covers a number of issues.

Top of the list is combating terrorism, particularly Al Qaida, Iraq issues and the dormant Middle East process. They now understand each other better.

Common ground

Both leaders realise the need for each other. They both strongly believe that candid dialogue is more productive than no dialogue at all. "It would be a strange foreign policy," Tony Blair said, "if we talked only to those with whom we fully agreed."

One can read many things in Bashar's visit to UK. Many experts believed that Damascus would never vote for Security Council Resolution 1441, but it did. That does not mean that Blair and Bashar will be in agreement over what happens in the future, though they both currently support the UN route.

Another area where both have some common ground is peace in the Middle East. Britain is committed to the two-state solution as it is "the only solution". This was made clear by Blair in a joint press conference with Bashar.

While Blair says that no lasting and fair peace is possible without the full involvement of Syria, Bashar in turn, made clear his commitment to a peaceful resolution of Syria's conflict with Israel as part of a comprehensive peace settlement.

In welcoming Bashar and extending to him and his wife Asam Al Akhras a "royal treatment", Blair is sending a message to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his apologists in Britain, who have voiced their displeasure at the visit in advance.

The Bashar talks, the expected meeting with the Israeli opposition leader, Amram Metzna, and next month's UK-sponsored Palestinian reform conference to be attended by the 'Quartet' are, according to the Guardian, "part of a pattern."

Maybe the most important reason for engaging Syria now is its experience in countering terrorism in a region fraught with conflicts and drowned in violence, a point which the Syrian president referred to in the press conference.

Syria, according to officials, whose intelligence services have vast dossiers on fundamentalist activists, has been providing invaluable information to the UK and the United States in the campaign against terrorism.

Damascus on its part is looking for Britain's active and constructive role, hand in hand with the European Union, to revive the Middle East peace process.

Sometimes, when the U.S., which still lists Syria as a "state sponsor of terrorism" closed up to the outside world, it is useful for countries like Syria, to engage with Washington's close allies such as Britain.

Reform process

The young Syrian president is also looking to move ahead with the reform process in his country, and the UK can play an important role by providing economic and monitory expertise.

In fact, reforming Syria's banking system was a main item in bilateral talks. Both leaders know that ultimately economic reforms bring with them political reforms. This is an area where Britain and Europe can help the process.

Syrian officials have indicated that the world is going through a process of re-adjustment since the collapse of the Soviet Union. As a medium-sized country with big regional responsibilities, they understand very well that Syria will lose out if it remains outside this process.


Mustapha Karkouti is the former president, Foreign Press Association in London.