Press Praise for Damascus Summit

The Syrian press has described the four-nation summit which Damascus hosted last week as an optimistic meeting which will improve stability in the region.



In an editorial on September 4, the day the summit was held, the government-run newspaper Al-Thawra asserted that Syria was ready for peace and is in a position to deliver it.



The summit, which brought together the heads of state of Syria, France, Qatar and Turkey, tackled the Syrian-Israeli peace process as well as the situations in Lebanon, Darfur and the Caucasus.



In a September 5 editorial, the official newspaper Tishreen called the summit a “historic event, both regionally and internationally”.



Tishreen maintained that Damascus would now play a major strong role in facilitating security, stability and peace.



The same day, the pro-government Al-Watan argued in its editorial that both the summit and the French-Syrian bilateral meeting which preceded it had shattered the notion that Damascus is isolated internationally.



In an opinion piece published on several opposition websites, émigré opposition figure Mumin Kuefatiah argued that Syrians were left frustrated by the summit – they doubt other countries will be able to bring about internal change, and are hoping the international community does not simply grant legitimacy to the regime in Damascus.



Kuefatiah compared current Syrian policy to that pursued by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi – making concessions to the international community, which then turns a blind eye to domestic issues.