Syria gains new confidence on world stage

Emerging from international isolation with a flurry of high-level Western visitors and ties boosted with Turkey, Syria has gained in confidence to the point of holding out on an EU partnership.

The European Union hoped to sign a partnership accord on October 26, after a freeze of several years by the EU side, but the Syrian side now insists it must review the terms to protect its interests.

Damascus and the EU first drew up a draft partnership pact in 2004 but it was never signed by European countries, amid concerns by some nations of human rights abuses in Syria.

While stalling on the EU deal, Syria has been working full steam ahead to develop relations with the major powers in its back yard.

Already a strategic ally of Iran, Syria on October 8 hosted King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, resulting in a joint call for the speedy formation of a unity government in Lebanon where the two countries have rival interests.

Ties with Turkey have also been strengthened with the launch of a high-level strategic cooperation council.

The two neighbours, whose relations were strained in the 1980s and 1990s over a Kurdish revolt in Turkey, for the first time held joint military exercises in April.

Last year, Turkey hosted and mediated indirect contacts between Syria and Israel on relaunching US-brokered peace talks that broke off in 2000. They were frozen in December following the outbreak of the Gaza war.

Seen from Damascus, solid ties with a Turkey that is gaining strength as an economic power "make links with Europe less important," explained Riad Qahwaji, director of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.

- Syria does not have to make political concessions - he said, referring to European human rights demands.

Since George W. Bush, who imposed an international isolation of Syria for alleged meddling in Iraq and Lebanon, lost the US presidential election in November 2008, European, US and Arab officials have been flocking to Damascus.

The United States and France have since been playing up the "constructive" role which Syria could play in post-war Iraq, in Lebanon and in the Middle East peace process.

- All this is reassuring for the Syrian leadership - said Qahwaji.

But although President Barack Obama's administration has replaced the orders of his predecessor's era with "dialogue," there is still room for improvement, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday.

- What has happened so far is a new approach. Dialogue has replaced commands, which is good, but things stopped there - he said. - It is hard to say that big steps have been taken in bilateral relations. -

On June 24, Washington announced it would send a new ambassador to Syria after a four-year break, although it has yet to implement the decision.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, during a regional tour earlier this week that did not take in Damascus, still called for changes in Syria's behaviour and actions.