News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Syrian analyst Sami Mubayed said on Friday that the Damascus government would be prepared to restrain the terrorist activities of Hizbullah and Hamas and would work with Western powers to find a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue if a U.S. administration led by President-elect Barack Obama shifts its policy toward Damascus.  Mubayed's analyses are considered the official standpoint of the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

In an article published on Friday on the Asia Times Web site, Mubayed urged Obama to normalize relations between Washington and Damascus. That means dispatching a new U.S. ambassador to Damascus, dropping economic sanctions against Syria and changing Western rhetoric toward Damascus. It would also mean compensation for the recent U.S. air strike in which eight Syrians were killed.

He called on Obama to endorse renewed peace talks between Syria and Israel to ensure their success and said that Damascus seeks a further role in matters regarding Iraq. Mubayed wrote, "Obama must recognize that no problem can be solved in the Middle East without Syria."