Over-the-top summit

Was it a war council or a sign of Iranian angst, asks Bassel Oudat in Damascus

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Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad attends a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus

Eight days after Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns visited Damascus, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived for the third time since he came to power. But this visit was unlike any other because it was accompanied by exaggerated sound bites and bold anti-US language. While on the surface the visit did not result in much more than an agreement to eliminate entry visas between the two countries, its real purpose may have been something far more important.

During his visit on 18 February, Burns discussed with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad a number of regional issues which the two sides do not see eye-to- eye on. Although the US official said that Damascus's position had progressed on several issues, he indicated that there is still discord but did not elaborate.

Syria, on the other hand, insisted that there were no disagreements between Syria and the US, except for the issue of Israel. Damascus said it wanted a "privileged" relationship with Washington, not just good ties, adding that "Israel and Israeli influence on US policy" are the sole obstacles blocking this goal. If it wasn't for Israel, "there would be no disagreements in bilateral, regional and international relations."

What Burns did not articulate in Damascus, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enunciated a few days later in her address to the Senate's Appropriations Committee. Clinton said that the US relationship with Syria was improving and that it had asked Damascus "to begin to move away from the relationship with Iran, which is so deeply troubling to the region as well as to the United States. We've laid out for the Syrians the need for greater cooperation with respect to Iraq, the end to interference in Lebanon and the... provision of weapons to Hizbullah, a resumption of the Israeli-Syrian track," she added. Clinton further noted that Syria's ties to Iran "are a source of deep concern" for Washington.

On the same day that Clinton made her remarks, Syria announced that Iran's president will arrive on an official visit in a show of Iranian solidarity in the face of Israeli threats. Ahmadinejad's talks with Al-Assad covered bilateral relations and developments on the regional and international arenas. The two also participated in celebrations marking the birth of Prophet Mohamed.

At a joint news conference, Al-Assad scoffed at Clinton's statements saying that the opposite is true and that Damascus must boost ties with Tehran. He was puzzled by Clinton's call on Syria to distance itself from Iran, he said, and went on to emphasise the importance of "augmenting ties with Iran if the genuine goal is to achieve stability."

The Syrian president further mocked Clinton's demands, jokingly saying that "we met today to sign an agreement of detachment between Syria and Iran, but we seem to have misunderstood -- either because of translation or limited wit -- and signed an agreement to cancel entry visas. We don't know if these two matters are complementary."

He further scolded Washington for interfering in Syria's relations with other countries. "We wish others would not lecture us about our region and history," Al-Assad told reporters. "We alone decide on our course of action and are well aware of our interests. But thanks for the advice." The Syrian president also defended Iran's right to a peaceful nuclear energy programme, saying that pressure from the West on Tehran is comparable to "a new type of colonialism".

Ahmadinejad also confirmed the strong ties between the two states, telling Clinton that "there is no distance between Syria and Iran. We have common interests, goals and enemies," he stated. "The era of running the region from beyond the seas is over." Ahmadinejad added that Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq will close ranks in the face of any war in the region instigated by Israel.

It was noteworthy that Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah came from Lebanon to meet with Ahmadinejad in Syria, and both attended a dinner hosted by Assad. It was the first time in years that Nasrallah made a public appearance in Damascus. European commentators agree that Al-Assad's guest list was another response to Clinton's remarks. They say that despite the ideological differences between Damascus and Tehran, Syria's support of Hizbullah is one of the cornerstones of the 30-year Syrian- Iranian alliance. Syria's backing of Hizbullah is also a major obstacle in improving US-Syrian ties.

Before dinner in Damascus, Ahmadinejad met with all ten Palestinian factions present in Syria, including the left, and not just resistance groups such as Hamas, as was the case in the past. The Iranian president assured the chief of the Hamas Political Bureau Khaled Meshaal that Iran believes resistance "is the best way to liberate the land".

Suleiman Hadad, head of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Syrian parliament, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Ahmadinejad's visit "came amid worrisome developments to pressure and influence regional security". Hadad was referring to Israel's threats to wage war against Syria, but he denied that the alliance between Damascus and Tehran is undermining national interests. "The complete opposite is true," he argued. "The alliance between Syria and Iran supports and augments Arab national interests. Syria's expanding role requires coordination and the exchange of ideas between Syria and friendly countries."

Several Arab media labelled the four-way meeting between Al-Assad, Ahmadinejad, Nasrallah and Meshaal a "war council" aimed at drafting a plan of action if Israel attacked any or all those in attendance. Media reports said the timing and tone of the news conference indicate a strategic alliance which is gaining strength in the face of the US-Israel alliance and anyone else who will join it in case of war. They added that Syria cannot exit its strategic alliance with Iran, and has never considered that option, because the alternatives are feeble and marginal.

After the Damascus meeting, US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley asserted that Syria must change its position regarding Iran or risk being marginalised. "We want to see Syria play a more constructive role in the region," he said. "One step would be to make clear to Iran what it needs to do. Unfortunately, this did not happen."

Upon his return to Tehran, Ahmadinejad said that Iran, Syria and the resistance "took the necessary steps to strengthen resistance by being vigilant about resolving any problems which arise on the political scene."

The Israel media was much more cautious about the four-way meeting between Assad, Ahmadinejad, Nasrallah and Meshaal. Newspaper reports worried that Al-Assad had misinterpreted Washington's appointment of a new ambassador to Damascus as a show of weakness. The newspapers added that Ahmadinejad had also misread Washington's decision on softer sanctions against Iran as fear of Tehran.

Tel Aviv asked Washington to delay sending the new ambassador to Damascus to penalise Syria for inviting Ahmadinejad to visit and for Al-Assad's warmth towards the Iranian president. Israel also wanted the US to censure Syria for "publicly rebuking the US demand to distance itself from Iran."

A few days ago, US Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman met Syria's Ambassador to Washington Emad Mustafa without disclosing the reasons for the meeting. The US State Department described the meeting as part of "continued efforts to directly engage the Syrian government on matters of concern." A US official stated that the administration "is intrigued how a simple announcement that a US ambassador will be arriving in Syria caused Iran to require a public demonstration by Syria of the strength of their alliance."

In the wake of the Assad-Ahmadinejad summit, several US circles believe that Al-Assad is manoeuvring with Washington to secure greater political gains. It also indicates that sending a US ambassador to Damascus is not the top prize Syria is seeking, but that it wants to be rewarded by a bigger role in regional affairs, especially in Iraq and Palestine, along with the lifting of sanctions.

For their part, several Arab and European diplomats view Ahmadinejad's trip to Damascus on the heels of US détente with Damascus as a signal of Iran's angst over the Syrian-US détente. Tehran got scared, so they snipe, overcompensating with a very public visit to Damascus.