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To Check Syria, U.S. Explores Bond with Muslim Brothers

[Wall Street Journal, 25Jul07] Jay Solomon - In late May, about 100 supporters of Syria's largest exile opposition group, the National Salvation Front, gathered outside Damascus' embassy in Washington to protest Syrian President Bashar Assad's rule. One of the NSF's most influential members is the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood - the decades-old political movement active across the Middle East whose leaders have inspired the terrorist groups Hamas and al-Qaeda. The White House views Syria - along with its allies, Iran and militant groups Hizbullah and Hamas - as a main threat to stability in the Middle East. So it is exploring the potential benefits of engaging with the Brotherhood. Despite its checkered record, the Sunni group could provide a counterweight against the rising influence of Shiite political power in the region. It could also, the reasoning goes, emerge as a force for democratic change. The U.S. has traditionally avoided contact with the Brotherhood across the Middle East. But now the State Department and National Security Council have begun to hold regular strategy sessions on Syria policy with the NSF and is funding an organization linked to it. Senior officials from the State Department and the National Security Council confirm the meetings.
2007-07-27 01:00:00
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