Syrian President, First Lady Praise Obama

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria's leader praised President Barack Obama's outreach for dialogue and invited him to visit Damascus in remarks released Friday just days after the United States said it plans to return its ambassador to Syria after a four year absence.

Syrian President Bashar Assad comments came in a telegram he sent to Obama on the occasion of the July 4 Independence Day and in an interview he gave to Britain's Sky News.

Also on Sky News, Syria's First Lady Asma al Assad said she envisioned her husband, Bashar, and Barack Obama joining forces.

"The fact is President Obama is young," al Assad said, "and President Assad is also very young as well, so maybe it is time for these young leaders to make a difference in the world."

President Assad's comments also come a month after Obama outlined in a historic speech in Egypt his determination to broker peace among Israel and its Arab neighbors and improve U.S. relations in the region.

"The values that were adopted by President Obama during his election campaign and after he was elected president are values that the world needs today," Assad said in the telegram that was carried by state-run news agency SANA.

"It is very important to adopt the principle of dialogue in relations with countries based on respect and mutual interest," Assad said.

In June, U.S Mideast envoy George Mitchell visited Damascus and met Assad in the highest visit by a U.S. official in more than four years. Mitchell's visit followed two separate trips in the past few months by senior U.S. officials Jeffrey Feltman, acting assistant secretary of state, and Daniel Shapiro, a Middle East expert at the White House.

The Obama administration hopes the diplomatic outreach will encourage Syria to play a positive role in both the Mideast peace process and also in Iraq.

In an interview with Sky News, Assad invited Obama to visit Damascus in order to discuss Mideast peace.

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"We would like to welcome him (Obama) in Syria, definitely. I am very clear about this," Assad said in English. Asked whether such a visit could take place soon, Assad said: "That depends on him."

He added with a smile, "I will ask you to convey the invitation to him."

The Obama administration has stepped up pressure on Arab countries to help resume Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and pursue a peace deal with the Jewish state themselves. Syria is seen as a key player in this process because of its support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip and its intermittent peace talks with Israel.

Syria held four rounds of indirect talks with Israel last year, mediated by Turkey. But the discussions were halted during the Israeli offensive on Gaza in December and January.

Last week, Presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama's plans to send back an ambassador to Syria.

The U.S. withdrew its ambassador to Syria in 2005 after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Some Lebanese politicians blamed Syria for the assassination, a claim that Damascus denies.

The U.S. also has accused Syria of not doing enough to stop the infiltration of militants to fight U.S. and allied forces in neighboring Iraq.

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Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

Comments

[FebM]

This reminds me of King Abdullah of Jordan driving then candidate Obama to the airport, literally, no body guards or secret service. the guys jumped one in the drivers seat, the other on passenger and off............. foreign policy doesn't get better than that.........................

[Matthew Benzor 1]

"That's awesome" sorry Bush your do nothing tatic and secret society agenda has failed.Now its time for real diplomacy having Syria as a ally is one of the best things president Obama will accomplish.May there peace between the two of us.

[jebamoni4]

She is the prettiest first lady in the world.

[Weirdwriter]

LOL. I would hope all Syrians agree.

[ECB]

She has a cute shape as well !

[paixa3]

She is really a beautiful lady....ouf.

[Alcove-One]

So was Ava Braun.

[ECB]

Hater !

[stryker]

Hardly.

[Weirdwriter]

Eva Braun, fathead. And what's your lame point?

[marco01]

Godwin's Law is in effect.

It's Eva Braun and she was no where near the looker this lady is.

[sybilla1388]

Eva Braun wasn't a first lady and was hardly a looker. She was a weak and needy child that was seduced by a lunatic, she was nothing more than a "groupie." So how can you compare her to First Lady Assad? As an American with Syrian family ties I find that terribly offensive.

[ECB]

Keep Mark Sanford away from her.

[fiberoptimist]

Bing!

[kate99]

for all you say he is an evil dictator remember his wife was born and educated in the uk take this chance to move forward instead of this they are evil we will not talk with them fact is not talking did not end the cold war and it will not bring democracy to these places normal relations with them will in the long run lead to that

[Alcove-One]

Gee, thanks Henry Kissenger.

[kate99]

lol ok tell me what should we do how do we get peace

[edwarvir]

I want to meet President and Mrs. Obama too.

[Alcove-One]

OK...pick a country and be its dictator.

[LITU]

You live in a vacuum.

[marco01]

Ha Ha you so funny

Just fall off the turnip truck? The US has been cozying up to dictators for like ever

[pspidey]

Can't help feeling that a dictatorship would be just fine by you, just so long as you were the dictator.

A bit like your friend George.

[marco01]

I'd like to remind everyone here that the US has always dealt with dictators, often for reasons of "national interest" ie for security or economic reasons often to the detriment of the people of that nation or the region. This BS meme that many on the right are trying to drum up to discredit Obama is so disingenuous in the extreme that I can't believe they have got this far with it.

When you compare past president's dealings with dictators, I think O's approach will be more global minded and less selfish and Machiavellian as has been the pattern.

Cons don't have much to say when their presidents are all cozy with brutal dictators for our "national interest."

[thedave108]

So they have a dictator. What do we have in the US? - a democracy? If this is a democracy wouldn't things happen that the majority of citizens want - like ending the wars - not stealing our money and giving it to the criminal bankers. Not allowing Halliburton scumbags to get every overpriced non-bid gov't contract so they can take the money and and not even making a half-assed effort to fulfill it. (Remember soldiers drinking water came from the Tigris River. their electrical work is not even up to minimal standards and people have died because of faults, etc, etc.)

We are quick to criticize everyone in the world - but we are the biggest criminal in the league of nations. IE in response for the killing of 3,000 americans in 911 allegedly by some muslims - we turned around and have slaughtered over 1 MILLION Iragis!! WTF?

We have no right to talk or criticize anyone. We live in an insane asylum of a country, with the worst people we could find given the power to make decisions, and we're just fine with that. Doesn't say much for us, or our sense of justice or intelligence.

[Paula Ann]

Tell it like it is, dave!!

[barksalot]

But you hang around this terr.ible place. If you were anything but a BS artist you would have moved to a good country.

[Paula Ann]

Love it or leave it? I don't think so. Love it and IMPROVE it.

[wizedollars]

Not to mention that the Obama administration, not the Bush administration has supported blocking the 9/11 victims' families from suing the Saudi Royals for funding the terrorists.

[SansArc]

Ok so I think we can agree that any admin would probably do the same. Also how about the fact that all past presidents and government officials have been in the pockets of the Saudi's. And the whole time its been the American people who have sat on their hands in demanding that our elected officials are here to serve us and only us. Get off the high horse and realize it has always been American complacency in all the bad our country has done. We have allowed open corruption and all we do is complain. An administration that commits acts of crimes and we are the accomplices. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh but it angers me that we like to point fingers at a group of individuals and not realize that we have enough fingers in our country to point at each other.

[marco01]

Yeah, we're far from perfect. But I shudder to think if some other nation, like say Syria, was the world's sole superpower.

It might be better if a country like Sweden was on top.

The US needs to tone down the violent interventionism and give up the coercive capitalist crusade.

[kingbuzz]

smokin'.

[fdrwuzright]

She's a hottie............

[Alcove-One]

Hands on the keyboard lefty.

[EducateU]

Sheesh people. Assad is a dictator, as was his father. And his father was a brutal dictator. Read some Middle East history.

[SadButWiser]

so, you voted for Bush. It can't get any worse.

[PerfectSense]

Under Assad, things are much, much worse.

[mharg11]

Just because a foreign country has selected to have and continue to have dictators, that is not the real reason we as a country should not deal with them. Iraq had a dictator and the Reagan Adm. dealt with them. The U.S. had a would be dictator for 8 yrs. and countries dealt with us. Get real, there has to be a starting point and just because countries do not look like you, act like you, and operate like you, does not mean that everything is wrong with them.

Open your minds, our Pres. is making it difficult for the middle east to continue with the old policies. Isreal and Palestine will have to accept peace because everyone in the region will demand it of the two countries. It is difficult to maintain war and differences when no one else in the world is supporting your madness. Sit back, relax, and watch our great leader at work and appreciate the job he is doing.

[marco01]

"Just because a foreign country has selected to have and continue to have dictators, that is not the real reason we as a country should not deal with them"

I'd like to remind everyone that the US has always dealt with dictators, often for reasons of "national interest" ie for security or economic reasons. This BS meme that many on the right are trying to drum up to discredit Obama is so disingenuous in the extreme that I can't believe they have got this far with it.

When you compare past president's dealings with dictators, I think O's approach will be more global minded and less selfish and Machiavellian as has been the pattern.

Cons don't have much to say when their presidents are all cozy with brutal dictators for our "national interest."

[marco01]

I'd like to add that the US has often dealt with various dictators with little regard for the implications to the people of that nation or others that may be affected in the region.

[PerfectSense]

"Just because a foreign country has selected to have and continue to have dictators..."

They are not selected - that is why they are dictators.

[rosal]

We have Corporate America dictating policy for the last 40 years, where have you been?

[Paula Ann]

So sad, but TRUE

[Peace4Allnotsome]

How about you read history to us? Tell you what: Tell us how many people are dead because of BOTH Assads vs. how many are dead because of Bush.

[JohnnyLee]

Maybe she should be President of Syria?

[MovingtoNorway]

Too hot

[Alcove-One]

A coup? Great idea. Gucci for everyone!

[lafrance]

it would be great if Obama went and met with Syria's president. So much could be accomplished including having someone in the middle east to help out.
I know the wingers heads will explode over it but, their way only put our country in so much more danger with their cowboy arrogance and bullying.
Diplomacy accomplishes so much more. The republicans use to know this and did it very well until Bush got in.

[peacebro]

I agree. We can surely use more open hearted intelligent leaders and dialogue all around the globe.

I believe people are ready for this and this is why we see these people emerging and the grass roots protests in Iran.

[Alcove-One]

Obama begged for dialogue with Iran and they responded with brutality to the protesters.
Wake up.

[Cyclone]

I agree with you.

[P2MAY]

think about it...Syria helping with that megalomaniac in Iran...the only people aftraid of good peaceful relations between the USA and Syria..is Israel. Syria has offered a plan for a solution between Israel and the Palestinians...the last thing Israel wants is a palestinian state...they would have to survive economically rather than militarily.