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CNN Sunday Morning

2 U.S. Congressmen Meet With Syrians

Aired April 20, 2003 - 09:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Syria placed new restrictions on Iraqis crossing their border. As Sheila MacVicar joins us from Damascus with more on the move and the possible reasons behind it. Good morning, Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson. Well, Syria's been saying for several days and it came after some intense American pressure, that its border with Iraq is closed to all but those who are already in Syria with Iraqi passports, Iraqi passport holders seeking to return home. The Syrians have imposed a kind of, if you will, a visa system, which is quite unusual in the Arab world. Normally, Arab passport holders can come and go to each country without seeking the requirements of a visa.

The Syrians saying that they're dealing with requests from Iraqi passport holders on a case-by-case basis. Now, this comes about obviously, as a result of allegations from U.S. administration officials that there were, perhaps, many, perhaps a few, perhaps at least some of those wanted figures from Saddam Hussein's regime here in Iraq. It seems fairly clear at this moment that there is only one person from the regime, the former ambassador to Tunis, who came through Syria. The Americans know that, because they asked the Tunisians, a close American ally to pick up Farouk Hijazi. The Tunisians refused. The U.S. administration knows he got in a plane and came to Syria. So it's not clear what happened after that.

There is possibly one other figure here. It's not confirmed, and we're told that the information on that is not particularly good. So it's very much an open question. But the Syrians have been taking hits on that subject and a number of other subjects over the course of the last 10 days or so, in a very intense way from the U.S. administration.

Today, in Damascus we saw the beginning of a return to perhaps more traditional diplomatic dialogue. Two U.S. congressmen came to Damascus. They had a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, a meeting that went on for at least an hour longer than anticipated. And at the conclusion of that meeting, the congressmen talked about what they had discussed with the Syrian president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: We very much emphasized the divisiveness of having offices here belonging to terrorist organizations, operating in Israel and Lebanon, and urged him to close them. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MACVICAR: And, of course, urging them to close the offices belonging to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and especially to deal with the question of Hezbollah.

On the subject of how this kind of megaphone diplomacy, transatlantic megaphone diplomacy has played out with the Syrians, who have made pretty clear that they were both frustrated and bewildered by the number of messages coming from the U.S. administration over the last 10 days or so, Congressman Nick Rahall from West Virginia talked about the beginnings of dialogue, the return to dialogue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NICK RAHALL (D), WEST VIRGINIA: What is important to recognize here is that Syria is not an enemy of the United States. Syria wants to overcome these false perceptions and false allegations that are out there, and they want a form to do that that is not in the headline, not in the words that are being hurled back and forth in the public arena, but rather in a calm, diplomatic arena, face-to-face with those that level the charges.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACVICAR: Now, it would seem, obviously, Anderson, these two gentlemen don't represent the U.S. administration. They both describe the meetings as very good. And interestingly enough, so do the Syrians -- Anderson.

COOPER: What is the likelihood that Syrian or at least Syrian government would be willing and/or able to disassociate themselves from Hamas, from Islamic Jihad, from Hezbollah?

MACVICAR: Well, you know, it's a question -- it's one of the messages that has been delivered quietly by the U.S. administration in the years since September 11. This is one of the things that they have been told and you have to remember, the Syrians have cooperated extensively with the U.S. in terms of going after al Qaeda.

The question of these other groups, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and even Hezbollah, from a Syrian point of view, have to do with the larger question of peace between the Israelis and the Syrians, Israelis and the Palestinians. And so, the question now is, how can they move forward? Is it possible to move forward without achieving a global solution, if you will, Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Sheila MacVicar in Damascus, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired April 20, 2003 - 09:10   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Syria placed new restrictions on Iraqis crossing their border. As Sheila MacVicar joins us from Damascus with more on the move and the possible reasons behind it. Good morning, Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson. Well, Syria's been saying for several days and it came after some intense American pressure, that its border with Iraq is closed to all but those who are already in Syria with Iraqi passports, Iraqi passport holders seeking to return home. The Syrians have imposed a kind of, if you will, a visa system, which is quite unusual in the Arab world. Normally, Arab passport holders can come and go to each country without seeking the requirements of a visa.

The Syrians saying that they're dealing with requests from Iraqi passport holders on a case-by-case basis. Now, this comes about obviously, as a result of allegations from U.S. administration officials that there were, perhaps, many, perhaps a few, perhaps at least some of those wanted figures from Saddam Hussein's regime here in Iraq. It seems fairly clear at this moment that there is only one person from the regime, the former ambassador to Tunis, who came through Syria. The Americans know that, because they asked the Tunisians, a close American ally to pick up Farouk Hijazi. The Tunisians refused. The U.S. administration knows he got in a plane and came to Syria. So it's not clear what happened after that.

There is possibly one other figure here. It's not confirmed, and we're told that the information on that is not particularly good. So it's very much an open question. But the Syrians have been taking hits on that subject and a number of other subjects over the course of the last 10 days or so, in a very intense way from the U.S. administration.

Today, in Damascus we saw the beginning of a return to perhaps more traditional diplomatic dialogue. Two U.S. congressmen came to Damascus. They had a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, a meeting that went on for at least an hour longer than anticipated. And at the conclusion of that meeting, the congressmen talked about what they had discussed with the Syrian president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: We very much emphasized the divisiveness of having offices here belonging to terrorist organizations, operating in Israel and Lebanon, and urged him to close them. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MACVICAR: And, of course, urging them to close the offices belonging to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and especially to deal with the question of Hezbollah.

On the subject of how this kind of megaphone diplomacy, transatlantic megaphone diplomacy has played out with the Syrians, who have made pretty clear that they were both frustrated and bewildered by the number of messages coming from the U.S. administration over the last 10 days or so, Congressman Nick Rahall from West Virginia talked about the beginnings of dialogue, the return to dialogue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NICK RAHALL (D), WEST VIRGINIA: What is important to recognize here is that Syria is not an enemy of the United States. Syria wants to overcome these false perceptions and false allegations that are out there, and they want a form to do that that is not in the headline, not in the words that are being hurled back and forth in the public arena, but rather in a calm, diplomatic arena, face-to-face with those that level the charges.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACVICAR: Now, it would seem, obviously, Anderson, these two gentlemen don't represent the U.S. administration. They both describe the meetings as very good. And interestingly enough, so do the Syrians -- Anderson.

COOPER: What is the likelihood that Syrian or at least Syrian government would be willing and/or able to disassociate themselves from Hamas, from Islamic Jihad, from Hezbollah?

MACVICAR: Well, you know, it's a question -- it's one of the messages that has been delivered quietly by the U.S. administration in the years since September 11. This is one of the things that they have been told and you have to remember, the Syrians have cooperated extensively with the U.S. in terms of going after al Qaeda.

The question of these other groups, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and even Hezbollah, from a Syrian point of view, have to do with the larger question of peace between the Israelis and the Syrians, Israelis and the Palestinians. And so, the question now is, how can they move forward? Is it possible to move forward without achieving a global solution, if you will, Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Sheila MacVicar in Damascus, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com