Pelosi pushes Syria on Hamas, Hezbollah links

[GHook93]

Pelosi pushes Syria on Hamas, Hezbollah links - CNN.com

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held talks with Syria's president Wednesday despite White House objections, saying she pressed Bashar al-Assad over Syrian support for militant groups and passed him a peace message from Israel's prime minister. The meeting was an attempt to push the Bush administration to open a direct dialogue with Syria, a step that the White House has rejected. Congressional Democrats insist the U.S. attempts to isolate Syria have failed to force the al-Assad government to change its policies. Rep. Tom Lantos, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who was in Pelosi's delegation, said the meeting "reinforced sharply" the potential benefits of talking to Syria. "This is only the beginning of our constructive dialogue with Syria and we hope to build on this visit," he said. On Tuesday, President Bush denounced Pelosi's visit to Syria, saying it sends mixed signals to al-Assad's government. "Sending delegations doesn't work. It's simply been counterproductive," Bush said. Washington says Syria is fueling Iraq's violence by allowing Sunni insurgents to operate from its territory. It also accuses it of backing terrorism because of its support for the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups and of destabilizing the Lebanese government. "We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace," Pelosi said after her talks with al-Assad. Pelosi said she and her delegation "expressed our concern about Syria's connections to Hezbollah and Hamas" and discussed the issue of militant fighters slipping across the Syrian border into Iraq. "These are important issues not only in the fight against terrorism but important priorities for us for peace in the Middle East," she said. (Watch what Pelosi thought was accomplished during visit ) She said she brought a message to al-Assad from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that Israel was ready for peace talks with Syria. Al-Assad gave assurances that "he's ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel," Pelosi said. She later left Syria, heading for Saudi Arabia, the next leg of a Mideast tour. At a meeting Sunday, Olmert asked Pelosi to take a message to Assad that Israel would be interested in peace if Syria stops its support for terrorism. Assad has repeatedly said during the past year that Damascus is willing to negotiate with Israel, insisting the talks must lead to the return of the Golan Heights, seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War. In the talks with Assad, the delegation raised the issue of Israeli soldiers kidnapped by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas and conveyed "the importance of Syria's role with Hamas in promoting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Pelosi said. Syria hosts the exiled leadership of Hamas, as well as other Palestinian radical groups, and is a major patron of Hezbollah. But while the United States regards Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist groups, Syria insists that Hamas is a legitimate resistance movement working for Palestinian freedom and Hezbollah is a regular Lebanese political party. Pelosi's visit to Syria was the latest challenge to the White House by congressional Democrats, who are taking a more assertive role in influencing policy in the Middle East and the Iraq war. Last year, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommended Washington open talks with Iran and Syria to try to resolve the war in Iraq and other regional crises. Bush rejected the recommendations, insisting dialogue would not bring results. But in February, the U.S. joined a gathering of regional diplomats in Baghdad that included Iran and Syria for talks on Iraq. "These people in the United States who are opposing dialogue I tell them one thing: Dialogue is ... the only method to close the gap existing between two countries," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said after Wednesday's al-Assad-Pelosi meeting.

This is one of the smartest moves our leadership has done recently. I applaud Pelosi for her courage and intelligence. Open direct dialog. It won't hurt, like the Bush administration believes, if we open talks with our "enemies," and not sugar-coat our problems with them.

Bottom Line:
No talks = 0% probability of working through issues. Direct talks = at the very least >0%!

[Mr.Vicchio]

She ha no right or power to open dialogue with anyone. She cannot speak for the United States of America, and she cannot make any diplomatic overtures. She has no power to do this, she's grandstanding for photo op and to make the gullible think she's accomplishing anything.

[bishop]

Quote by: ghook This is one of the smartest moves our leadership has done recently. I applaud Pelosi for her courage and intelligence. Open direct dialog. It won't hurt, like the Bush administration believes, if we open talks with our "enemies," and not sugar-coat our problems with them.

she's also hardly the first politician to have visited syria against white house objections in recent years - be they republican or democrat.

when you refuse to talk to countries that you have problems with, you never resolve your problems. bush's years of foreign policy failures highlight that quite well.

too bad if bush doesn't like it. there is nothing to lose by talking to countries you have issues with, despite what this president and his demoralized supporters say. the country wants a change in our foreign policy, away from one that focuses solely on brinksmanship to one that involves dialogue and professionalism.

[GHook93]

Quote by: bishop she's also hardly the first politician to have visited syria against white house objections in recent years - be they republican or democrat. when you refuse to talk to countries that you have problems with, you never resolve your problems. bush's years of foreign policy failures highlight that quite well. too bad if bush doesn't like it. there is nothing to lose by talking to countries you have issues with, despite what this president and his demoralized supporters say. the country wants a change in our foreign policy, away from one that focuses solely on brinksmanship to one that involves dialogue and professionalism.

This is exactly what I am saying. No dialog no chance of progress. Dialog then a chance of progress. Even an outside chance is better than no chance at all.

[rcne]

I don't mind her going; but her wearing a headscarf while in public, makes her authority in any political resolution seem unlikely.

Any dialog between the parities would be a plus, but still I can't see her trip with the PC headscarf as being in any way an equal footing in that part of the world.

Time will tell.

[The Decider]

Quote by: rcne I don't mind her going; but her wearing a headscarf while in public, makes her authority in any political resolution seem unlikely. Any dialog between the parities would be a plus, but still I can't see her trip with the PC headscarf as being in any way an equal footing in that part of the world. Time will tell.

Pelosi is only following the "PC" precedent set by Secretary of State Condi Rice:

http://www.mahablog.com/wp-content/u...condihijab.jpg

[bishop]

when she met with assad, she wasn't wearing the head garment... she only wore it while traveling around the country in public.

i believe she was simply respecting the culture - as to foster a better environment to talk about the real issues. why make all a fuss with the populace by walking around all arrogant, rather than humble?

[Chaossaber314]

NDTV.com

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mingled with Syrians in a market and made the sign of the cross at a Christian tomb in a visit to hardline Syria.

I'm not sure whether or not to call this courageous or arrogant. Perhaps a mixture?

[GHook93]

Quote by: Chaossaber314 NDTV.com I'm not sure whether or not to call this courageous or arrogant. Perhaps a mixture?

All this is regardless of the point. Not even Pelosi's critics can say she doesn't have a back-bone. The point is that finally someone in the Washington sees that value in opening up communication and talking with our enemies face to face. Honestly I have gained a lot of respect for her, because she has taken this trip.

[Chaossaber314]

Quote by: GHook93 All this is regardless of the point. Not even Pelosi's critics can say she doesn't have a back-bone. The point is that finally someone in the Washington sees that value in opening up communication and talking with our enemies face to face. Honestly I have gained a lot of respect for her, because she has taken this trip.

I was talking about the whole "sign-of-the-cross" thing. Not her trip as a whole.

[rcne]

Quote by: The Decider Pelosi is only following the "PC" precedent set by Secretary of State Condi Rice: http://www.mahablog.com/wp-content/u...condihijab.jpg

Quote by: bishop when she met with assad, she wasn't wearing the head garment... she only wore it while traveling around the country in public. i believe she was simply respecting the culture - as to foster a better environment to talk about the real issues. why make all a fuss with the populace by walking around all arrogant, rather than humble?

That was my point, when a female visits their culture it is expected that she respect their customs when in public by wearing coverings.

But shouldn't the same apply when in the west? Why shouldn't they respect the more gender equal culture of western society by dressing to suit its culture.

I suspect a double standard is in play.

[Slevin57]

Maybe Pelosi should go out on a boat on the Persian Gulf and try to speak to Iran.

[brien]

Quote by: bishop she's also hardly the first politician to have visited syria against white house objections in recent years - be they republican or democrat. when you refuse to talk to countries that you have problems with, you never resolve your problems. bush's years of foreign policy failures highlight that quite well. too bad if bush doesn't like it. there is nothing to lose by talking to countries you have issues with, despite what this president and his demoralized supporters say. the country wants a change in our foreign policy, away from one that focuses solely on brinksmanship to one that involves dialogue and professionalism.

See the post below

[brien]

Quote by: bishop she's also hardly the first politician to have visited syria against white house objections in recent years - be they republican or democrat. when you refuse to talk to countries that you have problems with, you never resolve your problems. bush's years of foreign policy failures highlight that quite well. too bad if bush doesn't like it. there is nothing to lose by talking to countries you have issues with, despite what this president and his demoralized supporters say. the country wants a change in our foreign policy, away from one that focuses solely on brinksmanship to one that involves dialogue and professionalism.

Well said Bish but keep in mind this is just a PR trip. She has no constitutional authority whatsoever to negotiate ANYTHING on behalf of the US. Elected representatives who pull these stunts are merely doing it out of a self serving agenda rather than attempting to accomplish any real or meaningful positive results in foreign affairs. If she was more concerned about foreign policy, whe would act within her constitutional authority as an elected representative in Congress, and increase the pressure upon the Bush Administration to act with the best interests of the American people in mind.

Her antics are simply grandstanding and self serving politics designed to make her look good with no regard for any ongoing meaningful dialogue between Syria and the US. If she were serious about promoting a meaningful dialogue between Syria and the US, she should work within the US where she has power to get something done, and work with her colleagues to put pressure upon foreign policy to change the current policies of the US towards Syria. Her shameless grandstanding merely takes away from this and redirects the spotlight upon her making the sign of the cross.:rolleyes:

From the Washington Post:

washingtonpost.com

Pratfall in Damascus Nancy Pelosi's foolish shuttle diplomacy Page A16 HOUSE SPEAKER Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered an excellent demonstration yesterday of why members of Congress should not attempt to supplant the secretary of state when traveling abroad. After a meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Ms. Pelosi announced that she had delivered a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that "Israel was ready to engage in peace talks" with Syria. What's more, she added, Mr. Assad was ready to "resume the peace process" as well. Having announced this seeming diplomatic breakthrough, Ms. Pelosi suggested that her Kissingerian shuttle diplomacy was just getting started. "We expressed our interest in using our good offices in promoting peace between Israel and Syria," she said....

[The Decider]

Quote by: brien She has no constitutional authority whatsoever to negotiate ANYTHING on behalf of the US. Elected representatives who pull these stunts are merely doing it out of a self serving agenda rather than attempting to accomplish any real or meaningful positive results in foreign affairs.

Israeli Prime Minister Olmert thought the trip useful enough to give Pelosi a message for President Assad. It would be nice if Secretary of State Condi Rice had brought that message herself, but she can't because Bush ignored the recommendations of his own Iraq Study Group that we open a dialogue with Syria and Iran. The American people supported the ISG.

It's also a good thing that our elected leaders actually meet other world leaders and build relationships. Just because Bush can't find half the world on a map doesn't mean our entire government should remain ignorant and unconnected with non-Americans, even those who don't like us very much.

Quote by: brien If she was more concerned about foreign policy, whe would act within her constitutional authority as an elected representative in Congress, and increase the pressure upon the Bush Administration to act with the best interests of the American people in mind.

Is she not doing that?

Quote by: brien Her antics are simply grandstanding and self serving politics designed to make her look good with no regard for any ongoing meaningful dialogue between Syria and the US. If she were serious about promoting a meaningful dialogue between Syria and the US, she should work within the US where she has power to get something done, and work with her colleagues to put pressure upon foreign policy to change the current policies of the US towards Syria.

Again, is she not doing that?

Quote by: brien Her shameless grandstanding merely takes away from this and redirects the spotlight upon her making the sign of the cross.:rolleyes:

It's amazing. She gets slammed for wearing a "PC" hijab and slammed for making the sign of the cross in a nation with millions of Christians. How many Americans even knew that Christians live in Syria? Or Jews for that matter?

Quote by: brien From the Washington Post: washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines

Damn liberal media!

[PatrickHenry]

Quote by: The Decider It's amazing. She gets slammed for wearing a "PC" hijab and slammed for making the sign of the cross in a nation with millions of Christians. How many Americans even knew that Christians live in Syria?

Looks like Chaossaber doesn't judging from his posts in this thread, heh.

But, yeah. The Christian church originates from Syria. Antioch to be exact.
Syriac Orthodox Church - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[bishop]

brien, what was pelosi negotiating, exactly? from all i've seen/read, the only thing she was trying to do was initiate communication between our two countries - to set up the stage for future negotiations.

imo, this is a good thing to do - particularly with the expectation that the next administration will handle foreign affairs with a level of professionalism that has been absent under the current administration.

[Chaossaber314]

Quote by: PatrickHenry Looks like Chaossaber doesn't judging from his posts in this thread, heh. But, yeah. The Christian church originates from Syria. Antioch to be exact. Syriac Orthodox Church - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So now you're going to follow me around making dumb little comments. I see how it is even if I didn't have problem with you before.

How does me showing some sign of being taken aback by having a Christian do the sign of the cross in a mosque say anything about my knowledge of Christians in the region. Let alone a politician who is supposed to be working diplomatically and opening up the channels of communication. It's ballsy.

The arrogance and ignorance is overwhelming but not surprising.

[PatrickHenry]

Quote by: Chaossaber314 So now you're going to follow me around making dumb little comments. I see how it is even if I didn't have problem with you before. How does me showing some sign of being taken aback by having a Christian do the sign of the cross in a mosque say anything about my knowledge of Christians in the region. Let alone a politician who is supposed to be working diplomatically and opening up the channels of communication. It's ballsy. The arrogance and ignorance is overwhelming but not surprising.

Another one for the record books...
I think you posted this:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mingled with Syrians in a market and made the sign of the cross at a Christian tomb

Is the Christian tomb in a mosque?

And calling a Christian sign arrogant in an appropriately Christian zone is supposed to be an informed comment from you? Snicker.

Anyway, Pelosi is doing something more than sitting back casting stones, which is what GW Bush seems to be engaged in...

Dialog is essential to solve diplomatic problems before wiolence breaks out...

[Chaossaber314]

Nancy Pelosi “Crosses Herself” Inside Syrian Mosque | Sweetness & Light

This site even has pictures.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, looks at the tomb containing the head of St. John the Baptist inside the historic Ommayad Mosque, during her tour at a popular market in downtown Damascus, Syria, Tuesday April 3, 2007.

Drop the attitude. :rolleyes: