Official Welcome for Carter Visit

Syria Media Report, 19-Dec-08

IWPR

Institute for War & Peace Reporting

Friday, 19 December, 2008

Official Welcome for Carter Visit

Syria Media Report, 19-Dec-08

Pro-government media outlets in Damascus praised former United States president Jimmy Carter’s visit to Syria this week.

Carter met December 13 with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, telling reporters at a news conference afterwards that the two discussed issues including reopening an American school and cultural centre in Damascus, and the prospects for better US-Syrian relations under incoming President Barack Obama.

Ali Jamalo, editor of the pro-government website Sham Press, lauded the former president for his continued interest in the Middle East, including his vocal opposition to the Iraq war and a 2007 book in which he criticised Israeli policy in the Palestinian territories.

In a December 14 opinion piece in the pro-government newspaper Al-Watan, Marwan Qablan also praised Carter’s steadfast support for Palestinians.

Carter met a delegation from Hamas on December 14, including Khaled Meshal, the Palestinian group’s exiled political leader. In April this year, Carter held a meeting with Meshal in Syria which sparked criticism from Israel and the Bush administration.

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