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Despite a number of crises at home, Syrian President Bashar Assad spent three days in Kuwait talking with the emirate’s leaders, seeking to minimize the diplomatic fallout from Syria’s new relationship with Iraq, which could anger the rest of the Arab world.
Syrian President Bashar Assad left Kuwait Aug. 20 after three days of talks with the emirate’s leaders. Assad’s attention to Kuwait is noteworthy considering he faces a number of pressing issues in his own country. Syrian security forces are in the midst of a month-long crackdown in Lebanon, and tensions with Israel are high.
The discussions in Kuwait are part of an effort to minimize the diplomatic fallout from Syria’s new military relationship with Iraq. Damascus is turning to Baghdad for defensive assistance against a possible pre-emptive strike by Israel. But Syria must ensure that its new alliance does not turn the rest of the Arab world, or the United States, against it.
The Kuwaitis are opinion leaders among the Arab states and have very close ties to the United States. The Kuwaiti government and many other Arab states are in no hurry to see a stronger Iraqi President Saddam Hussein break out of his containment and are concerned that Syria’s relationship may lead it to adopt some of Iraq’s hard-line policies.
Despite a downright hostile history, Syria has steadily improved diplomatic and economic ties with Iraq. Tentative steps last year gave way to bold moves such as Syrian Prime Minister Mustafa Miro’s recent visit to Iraq. Miro became only the second Arab head of government to visit the country since the Gulf War.
But even more provocative than these diplomatic efforts are reports about Iraqi military support for Syria. Damascus knows that it doesn’t have the military capability to defeat an Israeli pre-emptive strike – a distinct possibility amid the increased Middle East tensions – and it has likely turned to its neighbor for support.
During Miro’s visit, Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassein Ramadan stressed that his government is committed to assisting Syria “in all fields, including military.” Several sources suggest that Iraq may already have combat troops and equipment stationed in Syria.
In all likelihood, the Syrian government did not want Iraqi military assistance, but it had few alternatives. Egypt and Jordan are aligned too closely with the United States. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states generally confine their anti-Israeli activities to sending money to the Palestinians. Iran sent signals that would only offer very limited support to Damascus, and Russia has no reason to increase tensions in the region or provoke the United States.
Damascus simply needed the military support and couldn’t get it anywhere else. Assad is now in the difficult position of showing the world that his country’s relationship with Iraq is one of necessity, not ideology, and that Syria has no desire to be lumped in the same category as Iraq.
Syria’s government has worked hard over the past few years to soften its image as a rogue state, and its investment-starved economy demands that it continue these efforts. This is especially true in dealing with Kuwait, which has provided Syria with about $1 billion in soft loans since the Gulf War, according to UAE-based Gulf News. A downturn in relations could motivate the Kuwaitis to call in the loans.
To reassure the emirate, Assad pointed to his country’s history of strong ties with Kuwait, including providing troops during the Gulf War, and suggested his government could use its new ties with Baghdad to help locate some of the 600 prisoners of war Kuwait claims are still held in Iraq.
Assad’s efforts appear to have succeeded. All the official Kuwaiti statements were positive and essentially said Syria’s relations with Iraq were its own business. The Kuwaitis will continue their economic aid to Syria, and their seal of approval will set the tone for other Arab states.
But Kuwaiti approval will likely ripple beyond the Middle East. The emirate is one of Washington’s closest allies in the region and can perhaps influence U.S. policy on Syria. Here again Damascus desperately wants to show that its relationship with Baghdad is forced by circumstance, rather than desire. By calming relations with Kuwait, Syria can be reasonably sure that its relations with the United States will not degrade.
