US Sen. John Kerry said after talks with Syria's president Saturday that there are possibilities for “real cooperation” between the two nations, which have been at odds for years. Relations soured under the Bush administration, and Kerry and other members of Congress who have come to the Syrian capital in the last week explored the possibilities for better relations after President Barack Obama signaled he wanted to talk to opponents. Kerry told a small group of reporters at the US Embassy he was encouraged by the “very long, candid, open” discussion with President Bashar Al-Assad Saturday and that he sees the possibility of progress ahead. “While we will disagree on some issues for sure, what I heard and what I will take back with me and hopefully what we could put in place to take advantage of it, is the possibility of real cooperation on a number of different issues, beginning soon.” US-Syrian relations have long been tense. Syria's support for the militant organizations Hamas and Hezbollah has drawn the ire of Washington, which has also accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq. Syria, which staunchly opposed the 2003 invasion, insists it is doing all it can to safeguard its long, porous border. Relations soured further when the Bush administration pulled the US ambassador out of Syria in 2005 to protest Syria's suspected role in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Damascus denied involvement in his death, but in the uproar that followed, it was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, ending a 29-year military presence. Kerry also said he heard “a great willingness” to share in efforts with respect to Iraq from the Syrians. During a stop in Beirut on Wednesday, Kerry said the US expected Syria to “change its behavior” - particularly on Iraq and Lebanon - in return for renewing diplomacy with Damascus. Kerry said there is an opportunity with Obama in the White House and a Democratic-controlled Congress “to put in place a different approach.” Assad told Kerry and US Rep. Howard Berman, whom he met with separately earlier in the day, that “the policy of dictation has proven useless and that dialogue is the only way” to solve problems, according to Syria's official news agency, SANA. Assad has sent signals he wants to work with Washington. In a newspaper interview published Wednesday, Assad said he was impressed by Obama's friendly gestures and welcomed the US delegations to Syria. But he also said he is still waiting to see results.
