More evidence that Syria wants to nudge the Baath into the Iraqi political process; US-SCIRI reaction unknown

Syrian sources told Al-Hayat that the Syrian authorities have been encouraging Iraqi Baath party people to organize themselves for future participation in Iraqi national-reconciliation, suggesting there has been positive Syrian encouragement for the recent moves by some Iraqi Baathists to break away from the resistance wing headed by Izzat Ibrahim Al-Douri. According to one of the sources, Syrian vice president Farouq al-Sharaa said Syria is calling for complete Iraqi reconciliation, which can't be successful without the participation of all Iraqis.

The journalist recalls that at the end of Iraqi president Talabani's visit to Damascus last month, their joint statement included the assurance that revision of de-Baathification was "a priority of the Iraqi government and parliament", something that was interpreted at the time as a possible indicator of new efforts to bring the Baath into the Iraqi political process. And these reports of official Syrian encouragement for the Baath breakaway movement appear to support that.

The very likely hypothesis would be that Syria has become so concerned about spillover of Iraqi instability that it has started to support political reconciliation at the expense of supporting or acquiescing in the resistance. And the hypothesis would also be that recent Syrian announcement of immigration-restrictions was another manifestation of the same anxiety about the spillover of Iraqi instability.

The new Syrian approach is something clearly supported by Talabani on behalf of the Iraqi Kurds, and equally clearly opposed by Douri and others in the resistance. What isn't clear is the reaction of Washington and its SCIRI-Dawa clients in Baghdad. Statements so far by spokesmen for the Maliki administration haven't welcomed the new Syrian approach. (The resistance wing of the Baath accuses the breakaway group and Syria of conspiring with Maliki and America, but...) On the contrary, the SCIRI-Dawa side of the government has denounced Syria, calling the immigration moves unfriendly, and spokesman Ali Dabbagh said on the weekend that the government has proof that 50% of the terrorist mujahideen come via Syria. The SCIRI-Dawa establishment may well regard the Syrian switch as more of a threat than an opportunity.

Meanwhile, Azzaman reports SCIRI head Abdulaziz al-Hakim was in Tehran yesterday having talks with the Iranian regime. There aren't any reported details of the talks, but the major theme of Hakim's statements following the meetings was to encourage the United States to enter into direct talks with Iran.