| US senator meets with syria about iraq { December 13 2006 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active) http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/13/africa/ME_GEN_Syria_US.phphttp://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/13/africa/ME_GEN_Syria_US.php
U.S. senator discusses Iraq, Lebanon with Syrian president
The Associated Press Wednesday, December 13, 2006
DAMASCUS, Syria
U.S. senator Bill Nelson discussed the situation in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories with Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday, Syria's official news agency reported.
Assad's meeting with the Florida Democrat was his first with a U.S. official since the Iraq Study Group recommended last week that Washington should engage Syria and Iran in efforts to curb the bloodletting in Iraq.
The Syrian Arab News Agency quoted Assad as saying foreign powers should not intervene in Lebanon as the Lebanese "are capable of reaching an understanding among themselves."
Syria and its Lebanese allies regard the Lebanese government as following Washington's line.
The United States has repeated accused Syria of interfering in Lebanon — a charge Damascus denies.
Nelson, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, was named on Monday to the Senate's intelligence committee.
Syrian-U.S. relations have been strained for several years. Washington accuses Syria of aiding anti-American insurgents in Iraq by allowing them to cross from Syria.
Syria denies promoting the insurgency, saying it cannot have absolute control over its long and porous desert border with Iraq.
The United States withdrew its ambassador to Damascus last year after the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which many Lebanese blamed on Syria. Damascus denies any role in the killing.
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