Al-Jazeera interviews Syria's US envoy on ties with US, talks with Israel

Text of report by Qatari government-funded, pan-Arab news channel Al-Jazeera satellite TV on 17 August

["Midday Guest" programme, featuring an interview with Syrian Ambassador to the United States Dr Imad Mustafa, via satellite from Damascus, by Elsie Abi-Asi and Ali al-Zufayri in the studio - live]

[Abi-Asi] Syrian Ambassador to the United States Dr Imad Mustafa is our midday guest today. He is with us from Damascus. Dr Mustafa, let us begin with Syrian-US relations. How are these relations after the recent developments in Syria like the indirect negotiations held with Israel and settlement of the Lebanese issue?

[Mustafa] Good evening. Your observation is correct. Extremely important changes have taken place in the region. The US Administration is now living its last months. It is watching what is going on around it and is almost completely inactive. Events are overtaking it in various parts of the world like the crisis between Russia and Georgia and what is happening in our region, where things are accelerating in various directions. Fortunately, the United States, which used to play a negative role, is no longer able to play even this negative role. We hope that when the elections are held and a new administration comes to power, this administration will re-examine regional issues and note that the political history of this region has brushed aside and marginalized the United States. Since it is the sole world superpower today, it might review all its policies and there might be a good chance for a Syrian-US diplomatic engagement once again.

[Al-Zufayri] Western efforts were made in the past to isolate Syria. Could it be said now that this isolation has started to break up after all the developments you and my colleague Elsie Abi-Asi mentioned and after this relative improvement in French-Syrian relations?

[Mustafa] Let me say that the word started describes less than what really happened. Simply, Europe has very seriously restored engagement with Syria. The president of the European Parliament was in Damascus a week ago and his talks centred on reviving the association agreement between Syria and the EU. The French foreign minister is coming next week and the French president is coming after about two weeks. Our international, European, and Arab relations are excellent. As you said, there remains a problem. The United States made extraordinary efforts to isolate Syria. I do not want to speak in the name of Syria but will only remind you of an editorial in Wall Street Journal by Republican Senator Chuck Hegel and Democratic Senator John Kerry. The editorial said the United States tried to isolate Syria in the Middle East, but it ended up by isolating itself from all major events in the Middle East.

[Abi-Asi] You are talking about a negative role by the US Administration in the region and the world in general. Do you think this role may change with the advent of a new US Administration?

[Mustafa] I expect it to change regardless of whether Obama or McCain will be the next president. Of course, there are major differences between the two, but Obama has repeatedly said that he is for engagement and for political dialogue even with an adversary. He said we want to talk even to Iran and to understand its point of view. He believes that world diplomacy is led by dialogue, listening, and understanding the views of the other side, in addition to trying to communicate the US point of view to the side with which dialogue is held. As for Senator McCain, who is also a strong presidential candidate and should not at all be excluded, I think the team around him understands that radical changes are taking place in our region and he cannot blindly pursue President Bush's policies, which caused political and diplomatic disasters and harmed the reputation of the United States not only in the world but also among the American people themselves.

[Al-Zufayri] If we link this issue with the issue of indirect negotiations with Israel, we will find that you insist on a direct US sponsorship of these negotiations. Does this mean that during the next stage you will count on an American role and on US sponsorship of these negotiations regardless of whether the Republicans or Democrats win the elections?

[Mustafa] The issue is not one of Syrian insistence on a US sponsorship of these negotiations. The issue has to do with the way we understand the nature and structure of the Israeli political system and the extent of its dependence on the United States. Let us be very clear. Syria has firm principles it cannot at all cede. There are the Madrid terms of reference, international legitimacy, and the land-for-peace principle. Israel informed us through the mediator, Turkey, that it wants to negotiate with us on the basis of these principles. Without these principles no negotiations can be held. As a result of its awareness of the nature of Israel's political structure, Syria believes that if Israel really wants to make peace with Syria and other Arab parties like the Palestinians and Lebanese, it must have US assurances and the United States must intervene to help it make the right decision on returning the legitimate Arab rights to their owners in return for these assurances. This, however, is a US-Israeli affair. Our understanding of the nature and dimensions of this relationship leads us to the natural conclusion that it is inconceivable that there will be peace between the Arabs in general and Israel and not only between Syria and Israel unless the United States plays an active role. By the way, this is a role the United States should play. It has an ethical commitment to do so not only because it appointed itself as the chief policeman and superpower of the world, but also because it allowed Israel to go too far in occupying our land and killing our people by extending unlimited support to it.

[Abi-Asi] You are now holding indirect negotiations with Israel in the hope that these negotiations will become direct negotiations conducive to peace. How can this be reconciled with your relationship with the resistance and opposition movements in the region?

[Mustafa] We see no contradiction in this. Syria's peace option is a strategic one. It, however, is not one of running after Israel or relinquishing rights. There will absolutely be no relinquishment of the inalienable rights of our people. We believe that peace is possible when Israel reaches the stage of maturity and understands that it cannot continue to occupy our land or repress our people through military force. If Israel wants peace, it should know that we or rather all the Arabs without exception have adopted a comprehensive Arab peace initiative. Syria's political history over the past 20 years shows that Syria has always called for a peaceful solution to the Middle East crisis. This does not mean that we abandon our firm principles or our friends and allies like Iran, which is an ally and main friend that stood by our side in hard times. Shall we abandon them when things become easy for us? No, we see no conflict or contradiction between Syrian desire for a comprehensive and just peace that is based on rights and international law and our continued support for our allies and our allies' continued support for us.

[Al-Zufayri] Is there Syrian enthusiasm about restoring relations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia? You are in Damascus now and we ask if there is anything new on the level of Syrian-Saudi and Syrian-Egyptian relations?

[Mustafa] Syria strongly wishes to see an end to clouds in the sky of Arab relations not only between Syria and these two sisterly countries, but also between any two Arab countries. Let us admit that we are witnessing some difficulties these days in our relations with some Arab countries, but we in Syria at least realize that these difficulties are transient. There are no deep differences. They used to say that the Lebanese file might be a reason for these differences. The Lebanese file has been resolved in a remarkable way. Lebanese President Michel Sulayman's visit to Syria was successful and his meeting with President Bashar al-Asad was extremely fruitful. This is a strong proof. We even avoided the Lebanese parties which tried to antagonize or criticize Syria and looked deeply into the vital and strategic interests of Syria and Lebanon. Lebanon cannot live without Syria and the same applies to Syria. This is the normal thing and normal course of relations. This is an example that should be emulated in relations among all Arab countries and not only between Syria and the two sisterly Arab countries - Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

[Abi-Asi] Your statement that Syrian-Lebanese relations were resolved in a remarkable manner caught my attention, but when the Syrian foreign minister was asked if President Bashar al-Asad will visit Lebanon, he said the circumstances are still not ripe for this yet.

[Mustafa] This does not conflict with that. President Bashar al-Asad was the first president in the history of the Syrian Arab Republic after the independence of Syria and the independence of Lebanon from the French mandate to pay an official visit to Lebanon, salute the Lebanese flag, and listen to the Lebanese national anthem. We view Lebanon only as a sisterly Arab country for which we have all love. Our love for it is perhaps stronger than our love for any other country in the world. What Syria did for Lebanon is well known even to those who antagonize us today in Lebanon. They have to remember that when blood was heavily spilled in Lebanon, it was Syria which stopped the crazy grinding civil war that threatened their life before others. Now back to the question. These are hypothetical questions. President Bashar al-Asad has no plans now to visit Lebanon. This does not mean he will not visit it in the future or he rules out such a visit. When things are excellent, some come and try to confuse things by saying President Bashar al-Asad does not want to visit Lebanon in the near future. This issue has not been discussed and it is not on the agenda. Let us leave this issue to the normal development of Syrian-Lebanese relations.

[Al-Zufayri] Syrian Ambassador to the United States Dr Imad Mustafa, our midday guest today from Damascus, thank you very much.

Source: Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 1333 gmt 17 Aug 08