Syria's Line to Houston

By Scott Horton

All the pointless flap over Pelosi obscures an important fact: Syria does have a way of reaching folks in Washington when it wants to, and frequently it courses through well-connected private citizens. The most important such connection goes straight to Houston, Texas, and to former Secretary of State James Baker and his right-hand man, the director of Rice University's Baker Institute, Edward Djerejian. A career diplomat of noted fortitude and skill, Djerejian has long been seen as a leading resource on all things related to Syria.

Jeff Stein at Congressional Quarterly had a recent chat with Djerejian and picked up some interesting points:

“I think . . . they were reaching out,” said Djerejian…“They're generally looking to re-establish points of communication, to re-establish dialogue,” he said in a telephone interview, declining to elaborate.

“The channels are not broken off, nor are our communications,” he added. “And, of course, [James] Baker and I saw Walid Moallem [the Syrian Foreign Minister] in September 2006 in New York as part of Iraq Study Group deliberations. So, no, the channel is still very much open, informally, with the U.S.”

Djerejian recounts four separate trips he took up to 2005 setting up communications between the State Department and Damascus, which led to the recent visit of Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey to see President Assad. Baker and Djerejian want to keep the White House focused on the war against Islamicist jihadis like al Qaeda, but it's an uphill struggle.

Counterterrorism officials are already struggling to keep Bush administration officials focused on al Qaeda, which they see as America's immediate mortal threat. Going after Syria full bore holds little attraction for them, especially considering the regime's past collaboration against al Qaeda.

But like a house with a new coat of paint, appearances can be deceiving, especially when it comes to Damascus. Djerejian, who spent many years in the thick of Middle East intrigue, says he wouldn't be surprised if the CIA is still playing footsie with the Syrians. “But to be honest with you, I don't really know—and let me be clear on that,” he said. “But I wouldn't be surprised, because it's too damned important.”

“It's goddam important,” he repeated. “I think it serves our national security interests, if those relations could be maintained.” The Syrians, he said, “have a lot of information [about al Qaeda].”

Which brings us to an obvious point. While the Neocon attack dogs have taken on Pelosi, she's hardly the real target. The crew they want to intimidate and silence are James Baker, Edward Djerejian and the residual reality-based community in the Department of State.