John Kerry helped break the logjam in US/Syria relations and Hillary Clinton followed up

[karynnj]

David Ignatius in the Washington Post wrote:

The long-stalled U.S. diplomatic engagement with Syria is moving forward -- thanks to an unusual bit of mediation by Sen. John Kerry.

<snip>

Kerry reportedly played a key role in breaking the logjam between the two countries, which had worsened after the Obama administration announced last month that it was renewing sanctions against Damascus under the Syria Accountability Act. The Syrians had been expecting that move, but they were upset by a presidential statement accompanying the renewal, which repeated harsh Bush administration language that said Syria posed an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.” The Syrians said that unless this sharp language was withdrawn and the bilateral relationship improved, they wouldn’t provide the security assistance that Centcom wanted.

A mini-breakthrough in U.S.-Syria relations came Sunday in a telephone conversation between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, according to U.S. and Syrian sources. Moallem said that Syria would welcome a visit by U.S. Central Command officers to Damascus this month to discuss joint efforts to stabilize Iraq. In return, Clinton promised to develop a joint “road map” for improving bilateral relations between the two countries.

<snip>
Kerry’s role in all this is intriguing for two reasons: First, it shows that the former Democratic presidential candidate is carving out a role for himself as a foreign-policy player -- courageously taking on issues that are sensitive in political and policy terms. Second, it shows a fluid and creative foreign-policy process in the Obama administration, in which people outside the White House inner circle are able to get the president’s attention and push the envelope.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2009/06/_the_long-stalled_us_diplomati.html

That last paragraph says it all - both in terms of Kerry's role and Obama's willingness to listen to people outside his administration.

Middle Eastern peace has always been an elusive goal. Obama's approach here is interesting. In selecting George Mitchell, he picked someone respected in both the Arab and Jewish worlds, rather than picking someone seen as closer to Israel. In the last month, there have been several things that seemed designed to reach out to BOTH sides to assure them of support, while demanding the same things whether speaking to Arabs or Jews.

The first, that I saw, was the AIPAC talks, where both Biden and Kerry called for an end to expansion of settlements, the right of Arabs to move freely in the West bank and for a two state solution. ( http://cspan.org/Watch/Media/2009/05/05/HP/A/18231/Vice+Pres+Biden+Sen+John+Kerry+DMA+Remarks+at+AIPAC+Annual+Conference.aspx - start 11 minutes in)

A second less well covered event was Kerry's participation at the Jordan Economic Forum. It is interesting that he got substantial applause and praise from King Abdullah even as he called on the Arab nations to take actions they have been unwilling to take. (http://www.weforum.org/en/knowledge/Events/KN_SESS_SUMM_28780?url=/en/knowledge/Events/KN_SESS_SUMM_28780 - go 41 minutes in.) What is clear is that over the years Kerry has built up trust and respect from the Arab states. It was also clear there that Kerry's willingness to go to Gaza was a big deal to them.

Many people have said that the window may be closing on getting a two state solution in Israel - but President Obama's image and personal history, with George Mitchell leading the effort aided by other people like Senator Kerry developing relationships of trust may allow them to succeed on this really impossible problem. What is clear is that through President Obama, VP Biden, SoS HRC, many envoys and people like John Kerry, there has likely already been more diplomacy in Obama's administration than in all 8 years of Bush.

(edited to add the link)