In the first half of 2008, Syria was threatened with sanctions and isolation. But with a little help from France, and a few policy changes, the year ended on a better note, Bassel Oudat writes from Damascus The year 2008 was eventful for Syria. In its first half, Syria ran into a wall of isolation, both internationally and on the Arab scene. The year started with Arab and international displeasure with Syrian policy on Lebanon, Iraq, Palestinian groups, and Iran. Syria's human rights record, its emergency laws, and its way of dealing with the opposition also came under criticism. Meanwhile, the economy was in trouble and US sanctions weren't making things better. Relations with Arab countries, especially Egypt and Saudi Arabia, were strained, and Europe and the US seemed to have had it with Damascus. Several Arab countries demanded that an Arab summit scheduled for March in Damascus be moved to another venue. When the Syrians insisted on holding the summit, the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Morocco stayed away. It was Nicolas Sarkozy's initiative that saved the day. The French president maintained that pressure on Syria and even sanctions were only making things worse and that a policy of positive engagement may tempt Damascus to change its ways. So he invited President Bashar Al-Assad to Paris to attend the launch of the Union for the Mediterranean. Since then, Syria has been gradually altering its foreign policy, with the explicit support of Europe and the implicit endorsement of Washington. In Lebanon, Syria stepped back enough to allow the Lebanese to form a national unity government, elect Michel Suleiman as president, and appoint a new army commander. For the first time since independence, the two countries agreed to exchange ambassadors and draw up their common borders. Regarding Iraq, Syria tightened control on its borders so as to prevent their infiltration by prospective combatants. Damascus also played host to the Iraqi prime minister, exchanged ambassadors with Baghdad, and promised to help with national reconciliation. Further, Damascus continues to offer health, education and social services to 1.5 million Iraqi refugees living in Syria. In Palestine, Syrian officials tried to persuade Hamas and other Palestinian groups to maintain the calming-down period with Israel. Damascus also improved its ties with the Palestinian Authority and invited President Mahmoud Abbas to visit. The most significant change, however, was the start of Turkish-sponsored Syrian- Israeli talks, a move through which Damascus hopes to tell Europe and the US that it is becoming "moderate". In all, Sarkozy's policy worked like a charm, paving the way for a resumption of talks between the Syrians and European officials. The Syrians, who started discussing a partnership deal with Europe in 1995, now hope to reach a final partnership agreement mid-2009. Also in 2008, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) send a team to verify claims made by the Israelis and the Americans that the Syrians had a nuclear facility in Al-Kibar, a site that Israel earlier bombed. The year ended with the IAEA unable to confirm the claims, although inspectors said they found traces of radiation in the vicinity. Syrian officials said that the radiation was a result of Israel's use of bombs tipped with depleted uranium. Next, US helicopters bombed Abu Kamal, on the Syrian border with Iraq, in an operation Washington claimed was aimed at terrorist targets. Syria said that civilians were killed in the attack and retaliated by closing down the US cultural centre and the American School in Damascus. Three major terror attacks took place in Syria during the year. In February, a car bomb went out in Damascus killing prominent Hizbullah military figure Imad Mughniyah. The Syrian foreign minister promised to make public the outcome of an investigation into the case, but no information has yet been released. Second, General Mohamed Suleiman, an advisor to President Al-Assad on military affairs, was assassinated in a beach resort. The government hasn't released information about its findings in this case either. The third terror attack was the largest. A car bomb went off in southern Damascus in October, killing 17 and wounding many more. Damascus blamed the attack on Fatah Al-Islam, the group that fought it out with the Lebanese army in Nahr Al-Bared (near Tripoli) for weeks and that many Lebanese claimed was acting on Syrian behest. Damascus paraded Fatah Al-Islam suspects on television, where they said that the Future Movement of Saad Al-Hariri -- son of assassinated former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri -- was sponsoring them. Meanwhile, Al-Assad said that Lebanon's north had become a hotbed of extremists, and deployed Syrian troops near the borders in response. Syria said that the deployment had nothing to do with Lebanese internal affairs, but rather is designed to prevent terrorists and smugglers from crossing the border into Syria. At home, Syria has not relaxed its grip on the opposition. Syrian security services detained 40 activists who took part in an opposition meeting and then sentenced 12 of them to 30-months imprisonment. The Syrian authorities have also done nothing to relax the emergency and publication laws, although the Baath Party suggested such a move. In brief, Syria managed to break through its international isolation and is hopeful that once Obama starts his term things will even get better. But Syria's relations with major Arab governments still leave much to be desired. And progress is slow coming, too, on the home front.
