Syria: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues
Abstract
An array of bilateral issues continues to affect relations between the United States and Syria: the course of Arab-Israeli talks; questions of arms proliferation; Syrian connections with terrorist activity; Syria s role in Lebanon; and Syria s opposition to the U.S. occupation in Iraq. After Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March 2003, senior U.S. officials warned Syria to stop permitting transit of military supplies and volunteer fighters through Syria to Iraq. Nevertheless, foreign militants have continued to enter Iraq through Syria while an estimated 1.7 million Iraqi refugees have fled Iraq to Syria to escape sectarian violence and general instability. The assassination on February 14, 2005, of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who had become a vocal critic of Syria s military force presence in Lebanon, drew widespread suspicions of Syrian involvement among some Lebanese and within the international community. The initial report of a U.N. Commission on October 19, 2005, stated there is converging evidence pointing at both Lebanese and Syrian involvement in the Hariri assassination. Investigation by the Commission continues. Meanwhile, under increasing domestic and international pressure, Syria withdrew its forces from Lebanon in April 2005 in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 19, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA473484
Entities
People
- Alfred B. Prados
- Jeremy M. Sharp
Organizations
- Library of Congress