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To: steve harris who wrote (331696)	4/4/2007 10:19:04 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1572992

Syrians Hail Pelosi Visit as Diplomatic Triumph By Julie Stahl CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief April 04, 2007 Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Syrian politicians have hailed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Damascus as a diplomatic triumph that may force the Bush administration -- which opposed the visit -- to change its policy toward President Bashar Assad's regime. Pelosi, the most senior U.S. official to visit Syria in several years, met with Assad on Wednesday. The California Democrat said that she had discussed concerns regarding Iran; the situation in Iraq; Damascus' support for Hamas and Hizballah terrorists in the Palestinian self-rule territories and Lebanon; peace in the Middle East; and the continued abduction of three Israeli soldiers (one held by Hamas and two by Hizballah). "We came in friendship, hope and determined that the road to Damascus is the road to peace," Pelosi said at a press conference following the meeting. But President Bush, whose administration has sought to isolate Syria, criticized visits by Pelosi and others -- including three Republican congressmen on Sunday -- saying they sent "mixed messages" to the region and undermined U.S. policy. "Photo opportunities and/or meetings with President Assad lead the Assad government to believe they're part of the mainstream of the international community," Bush told reporters in Washington. "In fact, they're a state sponsor of terror." The president said many people had sent messages and gone to see Assad, without results. His administration regarded it "counterproductive" to send delegations. Syrian parliamentarian George Jabour said in a radio interview that Pelosi is the most powerful woman in American politics and predicted her visit would put pressure on the White House and lead to a policy change. Syria's ambassador to Washington, Imad Moustapha, called the visit a "positive step," though he cautioned that it didn't mean the U.S. position would suddenly change. Experts say that Syria is viewing the visit by the American politician third in line to the presidency as a victory for Syrian diplomacy and a sign that Washington's isolation policy has failed. Arab affairs expert Dr. Mordechai Kedar, of the BESA Center for Strategic Studies near Tel Aviv, said the visit had more to do with domestic American issues than Middle East peacemaking efforts. "[Pelosi] understands nothing in the Middle East," he told Cybercast News Service, describing the visit as "a hammer to hit President Bush." Kedar said Pelosi is trying to force a return to the former U.S. foreign policy of appeasing Mideast dictators. If she succeeds, she will reverse the positive changes that have already occurred in the drive to promote human rights and democracy, he argued. Kedar noted that Syria is Iran's key ally, and said without Syria, Iran would not be able to export its Islamic revolution to Lebanon or Iraq. Syria is a conduit for Iranian shipments of missiles and weapons to Hizballah, which opposes the pro-Western government in Beirut. Washington has also accused Syria of allowing anti-coalition insurgents to cross its borders into Iraq. "Thanks to Syria and Iran, thousands of American soldiers were killed in Iraq," Kedar said. "And now, Pelosi is willing to appease them." Kedar also raised the international investigation that has found evidence of Syrian involvement in a string of political assassinations of prominent anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon in recent years. He predicted that Damascus would view the easing of pressure as a license to carry out more assassinations in Lebanon. Israel Radio Arab Affairs analyst Eran Zinger said Wednesday Pelosi's visit would promote the idea in Syria that its help is needed in the region, particularly in calming the situation in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Damascus believes that it is returning to the international mainstream, Zinger said. Last December, the Bush administration rejected the recommendation of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group -- a panel headed by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Democratic congressman Lee Hamilton -- that the U.S. engage Iran and Syria as part of a broad strategy to reduce tensions in Iraq. Experts both here and in Washington warned at the time that engaging the two regimes would come at a price. The Baker-Hamilton report recommended that Israel be compelled to give up the strategic Golan Heights -- which most Israelis across the political spectrum see as vital to the country's survivability -- in exchange for a peace deal with Damascus. Syria has been on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism for decades. The headquarters of Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups are located in Damascus. Syria is also a key backer of Hizballah, which was implicated in the largest terror attacks against Americans prior to 9/11. Hizballah was responsible in 1983 for the bombings of the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut. Fifty people were killed in the April embassy blast, and 241 service personnel were killed in the October bombing of the barracks. A separate Hizballah bombing on the same day in October killed 58 French troops. Hizballah has also been blamed for the bombing of the Israeli Embassy and a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1992 and 1994, respectively. The two attacks cost 114 lives. Pelosi's regional visit has taken in stops in Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian self-rule areas. After the meeting in Damascus, the delegation left for Saudi Arabia. cnsnews.com

To: steve harris who wrote (331696)	4/4/2007 11:00:16 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1572992

How many republicans went behind democrat presidents meeting with our enemies? Democrats have a long tradition of treason you should be proud of. Kennedy and the KGB, Kerry and the Vietcong, Farrakhan and Libya, McDermott and Saddam, Pelosi and Syria. Yes, a fine history democrats have of focusing on what is most important to a democrat - power at any cost. Fascist, where's your post condemning the Republicans for their visit to Syria? Republicans have a long history of incompetence and corruption? Where's your posts condemning them for their misdeeds? You are nothing more than a Republican brownshirt doubling as a Republican cheerleader. Ignorance = Poverty

To: steve harris who wrote (331696)	4/4/2007 11:37:35 AM
From: combjelly	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1572992

"How many republicans went behind democrat presidents meeting with our enemies? " Get a grip Harris. Congressmen of both parties go on "fact finding" junkets all the time. Often to countries who don't like us much. Like the Republicans who went to Syria this week. Or when they go to China. Or Cuba. Or what about all those Republicans who were sucking up to the Nazis before we entered WWII? Or when Cheney was circumventing the trade restrictions with Iran when he headed Haliburton? Talk about power at any cost...