Kerry: Syria leader wants to assist in Iraq

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http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/12/20/kerry_syria_leader_wants_to_assist_in_iraq?mode=PF

Kerry: Syria leader wants to assist in Iraq

By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | December 20, 2006

Senator John F. Kerry said Wednesday that President Bashar Assad of Syria expressed a willingness to work with the United States to bring stability to Iraq, and said Assad personally offered assistance that Kerry plans to convey to the Bush administration.

Kerry -- who visited Syria along with Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, despite the administration's opposition to the trip -- said the meeting with Assad reinforced the need to follow the Iraq Study Group's recommendation that the US government directly engage Syria and Iran to find a way forward in Iraq.

"He offered some very direct and concrete ways in which they could be helpful in Iraq," Kerry said in an interview conducted by telephone from Damascus. "I came away with a distinct feeling that there are opportunities here. There are fronts in which we can work together if people are inclined to."

Kerry said the Assad government is interested in approaching the Iraq war from a regional perspective, where other Middle East issues -- including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- are part of the equation. The Massachusetts Democrat said he would not publicly discuss the substance of his talks with Assad until he has fully briefed State Department officials about his visit...........