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Summary:
U.S.-Syrian relations have warmed somewhat in recent years as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Syria's participation in the allied coalition against Iraq in 1991, and Syrian agreement to participate in Arab-Israeli peace talks. Some Members of Congress remain wary, however, of ties with Syria. Several legislative initiatives have sought to make any relaxation of aid and trade restrictions conditional on further changes in Syrian policies. Syria, governed by President Hafiz al-Asad from 1970 until his death in June 2000, is a prominent player in the Middle East scene. Within the region, a number of border disputes, problems of resource allocation, and political rivalries have caused frequent tensions between Syria and its neighbors. In particular, the Syrian Golan Heights territory, which Israel occupied in 1967, has been one of the most intractable issues in the Arab-Israeli dispute. Syria participated in U.S.-sponsored bilateral peace talks with Israel between 1991 and 1996, when talks were suspended. A few months after the election of Israeli Labor Party leader Ehud Barak as Prime Minister of Israel, Syrian-Israeli talks resumed briefly under U.S. auspices in December 1999 and January 2000 but stalled again as the two sides disagreed over the sequence of issues to be discussed. A March 26 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, between then Presidents and Asad failed to produce an agreement on restarting the talks. Prospects are uncertain in the aftermath of President Asad's death on June 10, 2000, and further progress will probably have to wait as Asad's successor, his son Dr. Bashar al-Asad, continues to consolidate his position. An array of bilateral issues continue to affect relations between the United States and Syria: the course of Arab-Israeli talks; questions of arms proliferation; Syrian connections with terrorist activity and previous involvement in narcotics traffic; Syria's human rights record; treatment of the Syrian Jewish community; Syria's role in Lebanon; and a warming trend in Syrian relations with Iraq. A variety of U.S. legislative provisions and executive directives prohibit direct aid to Syria and restrict bilateral trade relations between the two countries. On September 11, 2001, President Bashar al-Asad sent a cable to President Bush in which he "condemned the terrorist attacks that targeted innocent civilians and vital centers in the United States." An issue for U.S. policy makers is the degree to which the Administration should go in seeking to enlist Syrian support for U.S. endeavors in the Middle East. Many U.S. observers question the sincerity of Syrian gestures toward the United States and doubt that they augur a fundamental reorientation in Syrian policies. They believe removal of legislative sanctions should be contingent on evidence of improvements in Syria's human rights record, a clear renunciation of terrorism, and reversal of other policies injurious to U.S. interests. Others believe Syria's decision to join the allied coalition and participate in Arab-Israeli talks have provided opportunities for further cooperation in achieving U.S. regional objectives. They favor quiet diplomacy aimed at encouraging Syria to play a constructive and responsible role in the Middle East.
