Assad. Testing his intentions
Photo: Reuters
Clinton. Out-stretched hand
Photo: Reuters
US tech firms try to woo Damascus away from Tehran
State Department sends number of senior executives from leading technology companies in world, such as Microsoft and Dell, to Syrian capital in order to tempt Assad with what awaits him should he distance himself from Iran
WASHINGTON – Microsoft, Dell, Cisco, and Symantec are just some of the companies prohibited from operating in Syria under US boycott terms. However, senior executives from these companies were sent on a diplomatic mission to Damascus by the American administration in a bid to goad Syrian President Bashar Assad into abandoning Iran and uniting with the West.
The US imposed sanctions on Assad's regime in 2004 during President George Bush Jr.'s term. Placing Syria on the exclusive list of terrorist states begot a prohibition against the sale of many technologies to Damascus.
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In the past year, the US has softened the embargo and has allowed Boeing to sell replacement parts to passenger places in a gesture intended to promote dialogue.
The State Department's recent move to dispatch executives from leading technology firms in the US is meant to show Syria what it could gain from cutting off ties with Iran.
The delegation landed Monday in Damascus for a four-day trip, including a meeting with the upper echelons of the Syrian leadership, including Assad himself, as well as businessmen and members of local academia.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the mission is controversial, given recent reports that Syria transferred Scud missiles to Hezbollah. The State Department said that the visit is a test of Assad's desire to strengthen ties with the US.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has remained steadfast in her position that technological development in Syria will expose its citizens to information, democracy, and may prompt a more open society.
Other initiatives recently undertaken by Obama have also encountered criticism. For instance, the Senate is delaying the Robert Ford's appointment to the post of ambassador to Damascus until Syria's involvement in transferring missiles to Hezbollah is elucidated.
Clinton has asserted that it is precisely because of these types of issues that a senior diplomat is needed in Syria in order to deliver messages to the president.
The Obama administration's efforts in the past 16 months to open fruitful dialogue with Syria have fallen on deaf ears. Though the US has enjoyed partial cooperation from Assad in stopping the flow of terrorists from Syria to Iraq, every other effort, including visits by senior US officials, such as Middle East envoy George Mitchell, have come up empty handed.
