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A Payoff for Syrians: Seats at the Table, at Least

[New York Times] Helene Cooper - "The event in Annapolis was designed to send one unmistakable message: that Arab-Israeli peace is open for business," said Aaron David Miller, a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. The Sunni Arab states want to woo Syria, with its Sunni Muslim majority, from its alliance with largely Shiite Iran. For the Israelis, one potential benefit would be to play the Palestinians off against the Syrians while trying to negotiate peace with both. And the U.S.? "Look, a handful in the Arab League were saying they could not attend the conference unless Syria was put on the agenda," a senior Bush administration official said. "So we put Syria on the agenda. What did it cost us? Nothing." However, American and Israeli officials said the time was not yet ripe for real peace talks with Syria.
2007-11-30 01:00:00
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