(New York Times) Michael Slackman - Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met Thursday with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus in another indication that the U.S. is moving to re-engage with Syria. After his meeting, Kerry said in a statement that the U.S. and Syria shared "a mutual interest in having a very frank exchange on any differences that may exist, but also on the many, many agreements that we have about the possibilities of peace in this region." Because Syria is faced with a looming economic crisis as its oil wells run dry, and because it has a growing population of young people who need jobs and housing, Syria has an incentive to re-engage with the West, Kerry said.
2010-04-02 08:05:29Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive