Joshua Landis at Syria Comment derides the Bush administration’s policy’s continued refusal to engage with Syria, despite the golden opportunity presented by the appointment of Lebanon’s new president, Michel Suleiman. France has welcomed Suleiman, but Landis asks whether this means that France will recognize Hezbollah as a legitimate political party.
Meanwhile, the Christian Science Monitor reports that the Doha agreement has warmed Syria’s ties in the MidEast. “The Doha agreement was the result of not being able to isolate Syria…There was a realization … that without Syria nothing was going to happen.”
Ariel Kastner at The Daily Star asks whether the U.S. will engage with Syria as a participant in regional talks, even if it is not acting as a lead mediator.
