Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar Assad, Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah
From Telegraph "Syria Will Be The First Rogue State to Get Barack Obama Charm Offensive":
Diplomats and Democrats in Washington have confirmed that Mr Obama wants to persuade the Syrian leader, Bashar Assad, to cooperate with the West, in the hope that he will loosen his country's close ties to Iran, forcing Tehran to the negotiating table as well.
Both countries are accused of arming and sponsoring the terrorists groups Hamas and Hezbollah, funneling extremists and weapons into Iraq and attempting to purchase and develop nuclear technology. A Syrian nuclear plant was destroyed in an Israeli air attack last year.
Other senior sources in Washington say that there will be a "Syrian track" to American diplomacy under Mr Obama.
But dealing with Syria is a diplomatic minefield, as former prime minister Tony Blair discovered to his embarrassment during a previous thaw. On a visit to Damascus after the September 11 attacks, Mr Blair had to stand side by side with President Assad at a press conference while the Syrian dictator lectured the West about terrorism and praised Hamas, which has its political headquarters in Damascus, as freedom fighters.
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Obama had this to say about Israel's attack on Syria:
Now, we don't know exactly what happened with respect to Syria. We've gotten general reports, but we don't know all the specifics. We got general reports in the run-up to the Iraq war that proved erroneous, and a lot of people voted for that war as a consequence.
And let's keep this mysterious Obama-(Syrian National) Tony Rezko-Syria connection, from Leftist blog
WizBangBlue:
- Long-time Barack Obama supporter and campaign insider Tony Rezko was born in Syria and raised among Muslims. Rezko traveled the world for five years putting together business and real estate deals for famed-boxer Muhammed Ali.
- Muhammed Ali [aka Cassius Clay] is a Muslim.Elijah Muhammad (the man who officially renamed Clay) led the Black Muslim and Nation of Islam movement in the United States from 1934 to 1975.
- Tony Rezko still has ties to Syria. He is know to have investments, real estate holdings and relatives in metro Damascus
- Barack Obama's foreign policy adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski traveled to Damascus, Syria last February.
- Brzezinski was President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser during the time that the ayatollahs rose to power, and was in office when Iran became an anti-western Islamic state. Brzeninski saw no threat in this.
- In 2005 Tony Rezko's company Rezmar partnered on a deal to build a nuclear power plant in Iraq.
- Tony Rezko's Rezmar Corporation has been implicated in the FBI investigation of Rezko.
UPDATE:
Senior Hamas leader Khaled Mishaal was congratulated on Saturday by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, who praised Hamas for their "legendary victory" following the Israelis' 22-day aggression against Gaza.
Just saying, maybe we should re-think this one, Mr. President.
