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Obama Administration Rolls Dice in Overture to Syria

The Obama administration is taking action to reverse U.S. policy toward Syria, a move analysts say is fraught with risks.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signaled the change Tuesday when she said the U.S. would send two envoys to the Middle Eastern country to begin"preliminary conversations."Clinton, calling the overture a "worthwhile effort," said the administration cannot predict what the future holds for U.S.-Syria relations.But the dispatch of emissaries, including former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon Jeffery Feltman, would mark the highest-level U.S. administration visit in more than four years to Syria, which has been called a state sponsor of terrorism. Syria has been accused of building a secret nuclear reactor that was destroyed by Israeli bombers in 2007 and being behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.
"It's a reversal of what we were trying to do," said John Hannah, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy who, as national security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney, worked on Syria policy in the Bush administration.Hannah said he's skeptical of President Obama's plans, but he added that the gambit could yield a huge payoff if the U.S. is able to extract Syria from the anti-Western coalition in the Middle East, which is led by Iran."It's a huge strategic play. It would have dramatic, strategic consequences, I think, if it's in fact viable and doable. And that's the big question."While bold, the outreach to Syria is not shocking.Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, just returned from a visit to Syria. And Obama has long stated his desire to revive diplomatic talks with nations deemed hostile, stating during his inaugural address that, "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."Whether Syria will unclench its fist without major, and potentially harmful, U.S. concessions is the big question as Clinton dispatches her envoys.The U.S.-Syria relationship continued to deteriorate in the Bush administration after years of hostilities.The United States criticized Syria for supporting groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, and has accused the country of allowing extremists to cross its border to fight U.S.-led forces in Iraq. The Bush administration withdrew the U.S. ambassador to Syria in early 2005 in protest of the Hariri assassination-Syrian officials have been investigated in the killing, though Damascus denies involvement.Following international pressure and isolation, Syria recalled its longstanding military forces from Lebanon in mid-2005. But with elections coming up this summer in Lebanon, the country is divided between pro-Western factions once led by Hariri and groups allied with nations like Syria and Iran.Hannah conceded that the U.S. policy of isolation was faltering toward the end of the Bush administration, but he warned that the U.S. must be careful not to weaken its position in Lebanon during discussions with Syria. He said such an outcome would be disastrous.Kerry, in a speech to The Brookings Institution on Wednesday, said negotiations with Syria cannot come at the expense of Lebanon. The Massachusetts Democrat added that Syria's long-term interests ultimately lie with the West, not Iran, and he said President Bashar al-Assad told him last month that the country is prepared for peace talks with Israel.Kerry spokesman Frederick Jones told FOXNews.com the U.S. has no illusions about Syria continuing to "have their tentacles" in Lebanon and harbor militants like Hamas' Khaled Mashal.But he said Syria can play a "constructive role" in the region.Benjamin Friedman, a fellow in defense and homeland security studies at the Cato Institute, said he doesn't see much of a downside in reaching out to Syria. He said the talks could go nowhere, but they could also lead to Syria cutting back on support for Hezbollah and Hamas."It seems unlikely but not impossible," Friedman said.
FOXNews.com's Judson Berger contributed to this report.
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