(zaman.com) - The US administration seeks to separate Syria from Iran to solve the Middle East problem, which has intensified by the Israel-Lebanon war, the New York Times reported.
The newspaper reported that the Bush administration acknowledges that Syria is at the center of all solution plans and is therefore seeking ways to prevent a Syria-Iran alliance, reports Trend.
Syria yesterday indicated that they were willing to communicate with the US administration over resolving the confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel.
"Syria is ready for dialogue with the United States based on discussions of Israeli occupations in its neighboring countries,'' Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad said on Sunday.
President Bush and his advisors have acknowledged their refusal to talk to Damascus directly; their strategy being to persuade Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to pressure Syria to distance itself from Iran and Hezbollah.
US efforts regarding this plan commenced yesterday with an Oval Office meeting of US President George W. Bush and Faisal Miqdad, the NYT reported.
According to the NYT, the plan is problematic, for instance; some concerns suggest that these efforts may empower Syria to increase its influence on Lebanon.
The paper also noted that Arab countries may not participate in a struggle that directly benefits the US and Israel.
The US has not taken concrete steps concerning the incentives for Syria; on the contrary, Syria has been added to the US list of acknowledged financial backers of terrorism and has accused them of assisting the resistance in Iraq.
The article also says that Syria and Iran, which have been allies since 1980, now have doubts about each other.