Chalabi Emerges In Damascus On Peace Quest

[Oilwellian]

WASHINGTON — A little-noticed visit by Ahmad Chalabi to Syria is igniting speculation that the former Iraqi exile leader is emerging as a key channel between Damascus and Washington.

After a weekend meeting with the Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, Mr. Chalabi announced that Syria and Iraq would formally open their respective embassies in Damascus and Baghdad on Monday. An American diplomat said yesterday that Mr. Chalabi also was gauging the interest of the Assad regime in a limited rapprochement with America.

Mr. Chalabi regularly consults with the American ambassador to Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad. On Saturday, Mr. Chalabi told reporters that Syria and Iraq were considering joint patrols along the porous border they share.

While Mr. Chalabi's opposition organization had offices in Damascus throughout the 1990s, he had not visited Syria since before the war. Mr. Chalabi's weekend visit is also notable because Syria has helped fund and supply the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. In some ways, it also reflects new political realities following the Iraq war, including a military and intelligence alliance between Syria and Iran, whose ruling mullahs often consult Mr. Chalabi on Iraq.
http://www.nysun.com/article/45092?page_no=1

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Emerges???

makes him sound as if he's a butterfly coming out of the cocoon...

[scarletwoman]

2. More like a dung beetle emerging from a shit ball. (nt)

[leveymg]

3. Cross-signals: Saudis withdraw US Ambassador, Iraq establishes relations w/Syria

Which are we to believe is a genuine indication of whether the ISG proposals for US withdrawal and the opening of direct regional talks with Iran and Syria will really be implemented?

[Oilwellian]

5. It's an interesting development

It seems indeed that we are implementing talks with Iran & Syria. According to Juan Cole, Saudi Arabia and Israel are not very happy about it.

The New Middle East Cold War: Saudi/Israel/Lebanon versus Iran/Syria/Iraq/Hizbullah

Helene Cooper with Hassan Fattah of the NYT has the scoop that Saudi King Abdullah told US VP Dick Cheney two weeks ago that if the US withdrew precipitately from Iraq, the kingdom would have little choice but to support the Sunni Arab guerrillas. The Saudi government had pledged to the US not to do so as long as US troops were in Iraq. But it is alleged that Saudi oil millionaires privately already send money to the guerrillas. Saudis, as Wahhabi Muslims, belong to a sect that is to the right of Sunnism. But the Wahhabi tradition dislikes Shiites and in any Sunni-Shiite struggle, the Wahhabis will come in on the Sunni side.

This item is no surprise, of course, and I have brought up this likelihood a number of times myself. What is remarkable is that it is being stated by the Saudi leadership and published in the press. The Saudis are usually circumspect. If they are leaking this sort of thing, their hair must be on fire with anxiety.

Cooper also reports the abrupt and mysterious resignation of Saudi Ambassador to the US Turki al-Faisal after only 22 months in Washington. Prince Turki has been an effective diplomat and has done a lot of outreach work, addressing ordinary American audiences (a style very unlike that of Prince Bandar bin Sultan, his long-serving predecessor). Prince Turki is the only Saudi official I know of publicly to espouse Gandhian principles of non-violence for the Palestinian cause. I met him more than once and was impressed by his humanity and acumen. I'm sorry to see him leave Washington. There are rumors that he is leaving to become foreign minister of the kingdom. If that were the case, I should have thought the promotion would be announced along with his resignation, which he called a "retirement." The way this is being handled looks more to me as though he lost some big policy fight with the establishment in Riyadh. But we shall see.

http://www.juancole.com/

[bushmeister0]

4. I hope the Syrians counted the silverware before he left.

He may be making trips to Syria but he sure ain't going to be caught dead in Jordan anytime soon. He's sort of a wanted man in the Kingdom these days, I hear.

Seriously, though, how does this Ali Baba keep coming back? He's like the energizer bunny of the criminal world. Shouldn't he be in jail or something?

He totally bamboozled W & Co. into the disaster that is Iraq; he walked off with millions of Saddman's money; he went to Iran and gave them very sensitive US military singnals intelligence and he's got his hands on thousands of Saddam's records that he only doles out to the US when he needs cash.

Unbelievable!