Foreign relations of Syria

Ensuring national security, increasing influence among its Arab neighbors, and achieving a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace settlement, which includes the return of the Golan Heights, are the primary goals of President Bashar al-Assad's foreign policy. Syria at many points in its' history has seen virulent tension with its' geographically cultural neighbors, such as Turkey, Israel, Iraq, and Lebanon. Relations have improved dramatically with some of those states, if not, slightly or unchanged.

Relations with other Arab states

Syria's relations with the Arab world were strained by its support for Iran during the Iran–Iraq War, which began in 1980. With the end of the war in August 1988, Syria began a slow process of reintegration with the other Arab states. In 1989, it joined with the rest of the Arab world in readmitting Egypt to the 19th Arab League Summit at Casablanca.

This decision, prompted in part by Syria's need for Arab League support of its own position in Lebanon, marked the end of the Syrian-led opposition to Egypt and the 1977-1979 Sadat initiatives toward Israel, as well as the Camp David Accords. It coincided with the end of the 10-year Arab subsidy to Syria and other front-line Arab countries pledged at Baghdad in 1978. Syria reestablished full diplomatic relations with Egypt in 1989. In the 1990-1991 Gulf War, Syria joined other Arab states in the U.S.-led multinational coalition against Iraq. In 1998, Syria began a slow rapprochement with Iraq, driven primarily by economic needs. Syria continues to play an active pan-Arab role, which has intensified as the peace process collapsed in September 2000 with the start of the second Palestinian uprising (Intifada) against Israel. Though it voted in favor of UNSCR 1441 in 2002, Syria was against coalition military action in Iraq in 2003. However, the Syrian government accepted UNSCR 1483 (after being absent for the actual vote), which lifted sanctions on Iraq and established a framework to assist the Iraqi people in determining their political future and rebuilding their economy.

Involvement in Lebanon

Syria plays an important role in Lebanon by virtue of its history, size, power, and economy. Lebanon was part of post-Ottoman Syria until 1926. The presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon dates to 1976, when President Hafez Al-Assad intervened in the Lebanese civil war on behalf of Maronite Christians. Following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Syrian and Israeli forces clashed in eastern Lebanon. The late U.S. Ambassador Philip Habib negotiated a cease-fire in Lebanon and the subsequent evacuation of PLO fighters from West Beirut. However, Syrian opposition blocked implementation of the May 17, 1983, Lebanese-Israeli accord on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. Following the February 1984 withdrawal of the UN Multinational Force from Beirut and the departure of most of Israel's forces from southern Lebanon a year later, Syria launched an unsuccessful initiative to reconcile warring Lebanese factions and establish a permanent cease-fire. Syria actively participated in the March-September 1989 fighting between the Christian Lebanese Forces and Muslim forces allied with Syria. In 1989, Syria endorsed the Charter of National Reconciliation, or "Taif Accord," a comprehensive plan for ending the Lebanese conflict negotiated under the auspices of Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Morocco.

At the request of Lebanese President Hrawi, the Syrian military took joint action with the Lebanese Armed Forces on October 13, 1990, to oust rebel Gen. Michel Aoun who had defied efforts at reconciliation with the legitimate Government of Lebanon. The process of disarming and disbanding the many Lebanese militias began in earnest in early 1991. In May 1991, Lebanon and Syria signed the treaty of brotherhood, cooperation, and coordination called for in the Taif Accord, which is intended to provide the basis for many aspects of Syrian-Lebanese relations. The treaty provides the most explicit recognition to date by the Syrian Government of Lebanon's independence and sovereignty.

According to the U.S. interpretation of the Taif Accord, Syria and Lebanon were to have decided on the redeployment of Syrian forces from Beirut and other coastal areas of Lebanon by September 1992. Israeli occupation of Lebanon until May 2000, the breakdown of peace negotiations between Syria and Israel that same year, and intensifying Arab/Israeli tensions since the start of the second Palestinian uprising in September 2000 have helped delay full implementation of the Taif Accords. The United Nations declared that Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon fulfilled the requirements of UN Security Council Resolution 425. However, Syria and Lebanon claimed that UNSCR 425 had not been fully implemented because Israel did not withdraw from an area of the Golan Heights called Shebaa Farms, which had been occupied by Israel in 1967, and which Syria now claimed was part of Lebanon. The United Nations does not recognize this claim. However, Lebanese resistance groups such as Hezbollah use it to justify attacks against Israeli forces in that region, creating a potentially dangerous flashpoint along the Lebanon-Israeli border.

In 2005, Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon after the assassination of Lebanese Sunni Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 14th, 2005.

Iran

See Iran-Arab relations, section on Syria.

Pakistan

1967 war, Pakistan sent its topgun pilots during the war to help the Syrian air force. Pakistani air force pilots did shoot down Israeli planes. After the war Pakistani topgun air force pilots helped Syrian air force pilots to have better training and taught them new air dogfights tactics.

2008 Pakistan is pushing Syria towards a peace agreement with Israel and Pakistan its self is pushing for relations with Israel. The future outlook is that may be in 2009 if not by 2010 Pakistan will establish relations with Israel.

Arab-Israeli relations

Syria was an active belligerent in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, which resulted in Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights and the city of Quneitra. Following the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War, which left Israel in occupation of additional Syrian territory, Syria accepted UN Security Council Resolution 338, which signaled an implicit acceptance of Resolution 242. Resolution 242, which became the basis for the peace process negotiations begun in Madrid, calls for a just and lasting Middle East peace to include withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in 1967; termination of the state of belligerency; and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of all regional states and of their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries.

As a result of the mediation efforts of then U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Syria and Israel concluded a disengagement agreement in May 1974, enabling Syria to recover territory lost in the October war and part of the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967, including Quneitra. The two sides have effectively implemented the agreement, which is monitored by UN forces.

In December 1981, the Israeli Knesset voted to extend Israeli law to the part of the Golan Heights over which Israel retained control. The UN Security Council subsequently passed a resolution calling on Israel to rescind this measure. Syria participated in the Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid in October 1991. Negotiations were conducted intermittently through the 1990s, and came very close to succeeding. However, the parties were unable to come to an agreement due to President Bill Clinton's failure to consult with the Syrian President, Hafez al-Assad during the negotiating process, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's backtracking on the issue of the northeastern shore of Lake Tiberias and Syria's nonnegotiable demand that Israel withdraw to the positions it held on June 4, 1967. The peace process collapsed following the outbreak of the second Palestinian (Intifada) uprising in September 2000, though Syria continues to call for a comprehensive settlement based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, and the land-for-peace formula adopted at the 1991 Madrid conference.

Tensions between Israel and Syria increased as the Intifada dragged on, primarily as a result of Syria's refusal to stop giving sanctuary to Palestinian terrorist groups conducting operations against Israel. In October 2003, following a suicide bombing carried out by a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Haifa that killed 20 Israeli citizens, Israeli Defense Forces attacked a suspected Palestinian terrorist training camp 15 kilometers north of Damascus. This was the first such Israeli attack deep inside Syrian territory since the 1973 war. As this report went to press, Syria announced it would respond diplomatically, and asked the UN Security Council to condemn the Israeli action.

In 2004 and 2005 Israel and Syria engaged in private talks discussing an outline peace accord. These were successful at a technical level, but failed to gain adequate political support. [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IB13Ak05.html]

Hostility between Syria and Israel further increased following Israel's execution of Operation Orchard on September 6, 2007. Israel bombed a northern Syrian complex near Dayr az-Zawr which was suspected of holding nuclear materials from North Korea. [cite news|title=Israelis ‘Israelis seized nuclear material in Syrian raid’|url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2512380.ece|publisher = The Sunday Times|date = 2007-09-23]

In 2008 President of Syria Bashar al-Assad confirmed that talks with Israel have resumed trough a third party. [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BF3F4AA5-5157-45FD-B362-99FAEB14804E.htm] The expatriates minister, Buthaina Shaaban has also confirmed that Israel is ready to give up the Golan Heights [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7362937.stm]

Membership in international organizations

Syria is a member of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Arab League, Arab Monetary Fund, Council of Arab Economic Unity, Customs Cooperation Council, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Food and Agricultural Organization, Group of 24, Group of 77, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Chamber of Commerce, International Development Association, Islamic Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development, International Finance Corporation, International Labour Organization, International Monetary Fund, International Maritime Organization, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, International Olympic Committee, International Organization for Standardization, International Telecommunication Union, League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, Organisation of the Islamic Conference, United Nations, UN Commission on Human Rights, UN Conference on Trade and Development, UN Industrial Development Organization, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Universal Postal Union, World Federation of Trade Unions, World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization, and World Tourism Organization.

Syria's 2-year term as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council ended in December 2003.

Disputes - international:
Golan Heights with Israel; dispute with upstream riparian Turkey over Turkish water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Illicit drugs:a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets

See also

* Syrian diplomatic missions
* List of diplomatic missions in Syria

Sources

This article is adapted from the United States Department of State "Background note" on Syria, visualised December 2003, the current version of which is available at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3580.htm#foreign.

References

External links

* ar icon [http://www.mofa.gov.sy Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
* [http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/71755089ce2e9102852570c70071ab27?OpenDocument UNRWA Commissioner-General Visits Syria]
* [http://english.sohu.com/20050801/n226521001.shtml New Lebanese Prime Minister visits Syria]
* [http://english.people.com.cn/english/200007/19/eng20000719_45912.html Jordanian King Visits Syria]
* [http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050425/2005042508.html http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050425/2005042508.html]
* [http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/021014/2002101415.html Iraqi Kurdish delegation visits Syria]
* [http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=28478 Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül visits Syria]
* [http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2005%20News%20Archives/April%202005%20News/13n/Turkish%20President,%20Ahmed%20Cezer,%20Visits%20Syria%20Amid%20U.S.%20Unease.htm Turkish President, Ahmed Sezer, Visits Syria Amid U.S. Unease]
* [http://www.syrialive.net/Media/news/2002/051902Sudanese%20vice%20president%20visits%20Syria.htm Sudanese vice president visits Syria]
* [http://www.rte.ie/news/2001/1030/britishreax.html Blair visits Syria]
* [http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/051122/2005112209.html David Duke in Damascus to express solidarity with Syria] November 22, 2005.