US Visit Boosts Reconciliation Hopes

The Syrian media reported that a rapprochement between Washington and Damascus could be on the horizon following last month’s visit to Syria by a United States Congressional delegation.



Syrian president Bashar al-Assad told the seven-member delegation headed by Democrat representative Adam Smith that he was seeking to open a “positive and constructive” dialogue with the US.



Smith, a member of the US House Foreign Relations Committee, said the visit was the beginning of a process to restore the relationship between the two countries.



“We also believe that we have common interests. We all want peace in this region and we all want to fight terrorism. We are hoping that these common interests lead to more dialogue,” Smith told reporters in Damascus.



Diplomatic sources told the pro-government newspaper Al-Watan that Smith’s comments further strengthened hopes for building ties between the two countries.



They also said that Washington had almost concluded its search for an ambassador to Syria and planned to send the new envoy to Damascus by the summer.



However, Syria’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs Abdullah al-Dardari said that if President Barack Obama wanted to normalise relations, the US must lift sanctions against Syria.