U.S.-Syria talks may be step toward thaw

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States and Syria held a series of meetings this week, signaling a possible thaw between the two countries as the former seeks to peel the latter from its close ties with Iran.

No further meetings are planned between the two sides, said several senior State Department officials, who downplayed the expectations of a major breakthrough.

"You can't tell yet," one of the officials said. "It gave us a chance to raise our concerns directly, but the results will depend on what we see on the ground."

The talks between Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem and U.S. Assistant Secretary David Welch on Monday in New York came on the heels of a brief meeting between Moallem and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice a day earlier, the senior officials said.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of normal diplomatic rules. Syrian officials could not be reached for comment.

"It is significant that the exchange took place in front of several foreign ministers and not some secret thing," one senior State Department official said.

During Rice's 10-minute chat with Moallem, on the sidelines of an Iftar dinner with Arab foreign ministers marking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, she asked him to have a more substantive conversation the next day with Welch.

The meeting between Moallem and Welch involved a lot of "venting," with both sides airing longstanding grievances with each other, the official said.

But the diplomats also discussed Washington's support for peace talks between Syria and Israel; Syria's role in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories; and its ties to Iran, the official said.

Welch raised continuing U.S. concerns about Syrian behavior in Lebanon and warned that Syria should not use last weekend's bombing of a military facility in Damascus, Syria, as a pretext to justify military action in northern Lebanon.

This week, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said northern Lebanon has become a "security risk," but Welch warned Moallem that any Syrian action in Lebanon would be "unacceptable."

Syria, Welch said, should also play a more positive role in the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians by using its influence on Palestinian rejectionist groups living in Syria and by ending support of Palestinian militant camps in Lebanon.

Syria has long been pushing Israel to return the Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied since the Six-Day War in 1967. Israel wants Syria to abandon its support of Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas, as part of any peace agreement.

The United States and Israel have accused Syria of sending arms to militants in Lebanon.

Welch urged the foreign minister to continue Syrian efforts to stop militants crossing from Syria into Iraq. Several officials have acknowledged that the flow of fighters into Iraq has decreased because of a Syrian crackdown on the border.

He also questioned Syria's strategic relationship with Iran, which is at the heart of U.S. concerns about the country. Officials suggested that the United States is stepping up efforts to pull Damascus from its close ties with Tehran.

"If Syria is looking for alternatives against its relationship with Iran, perhaps there are possibilities that could be explored," another senior State Department official said. "Our view of the regime hasn't changed, but perhaps there are opportunities to take advantage of."

Officials pointed to Moallem's pledge to improve counterterrorism cooperation with the United States and the West, especially in light of Saturday's Damascus bombing, which killed 17 people.

Syria also is in the process of sending ambassadors to Iraq and Lebanon and wanted to strengthen economic ties with both nations, Moallem told the U.S. diplomat.

But the minister accused the United States of being "complicit" in last year's Israeli attack of what was believed to be a Syrian nuclear facility built with North Korean support.

He also complained about the lack of a U.S. ambassador in Damascus.

Washington recalled its ambassador to Syria in February 2005 after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. A U.N. investigation has tied Syria to the murder, but Damascus has denied any involvement.

Since then, U.S. contacts with Syria have been all but frozen, and the Bush administration has been divided on whether to engage its leaders.

The United States has also slapped financial sanctions on Syria over its support for terrorism and alleged aid to foreign fighters entering Iraq.

Last week, President Bush told the U.N. General Assembly that "a few nations -- regimes like Syria and Iran -- continue to sponsor terrorism."

But U.S. efforts to isolate Syria have been unsuccessful, with key U.S. allies such as Israel and France calling Syrian engagement a key to stability in the Middle East.

Israel has engaged Syria in indirect peace talks brokered by Turkey, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Damascus this month in an effort to gain Syrian support for peace efforts in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

All About Syria • Iran • U.S. Department of State