Obama Urged to Follow Words with Deeds
Syria Media Report, 22-Apr-09
Obama Urged to Follow Words with Deeds
Syria Media Report, 22-Apr-09
A pro-government Syrian newspaper has urged United States president Barack Obama to win over Middle Eastern countries by delivering a comprehensive peace plan to the region.
In the Al-Watan piece, columnist Marwan Qablan pointed to recent comments from US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, who said a fair and comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement was of vital interest to Washington.
“This is the first time a high-level American diplomat has viewed resolving the conflict as such an urgent priority,” wrote Qablan in the April 20 article.
“For decades, past US administrations have taken a passive, wait-and-see approach to a peace deal – now [such a deal] is a strategic goal for the new administration.”
According to Qablan, the Obama administration has shown signs of realising that regional states other than Israel could be key US partners. As an example, he cited Obama’s recent trip to Turkey.
He urged the new administration to follow through on these comments.
“To truly win the favour of these nations, the US must demonstrate its commitment to the region by trying to achieve a real and comprehensive peace plan,” said Qablan.
“Thus far, they have been saying all the right words. The next step is action.”
He also said that if Obama moved closer to Arab nations, this would probably lead to a conflict of interest with long-time ally Israel.
