Word: assads
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...same time, the Soviet Union has been urging one of its closest allies in the region, Syrian President Hafez Assad, to show some signs of moderation in order to increase his influence with his neighbors. In April, not long after his return from a trip to Moscow, Assad went to Jordan for a secret meeting with his long-time enemy, Iraq's President Saddam Hussein. Except for Libya, Syria is the only Arab state that backs non-Arab Iran in its seven-year war with Arab Iraq. Assad is believed unlikely to be ready to change sides in the gulf...
...Soviet diplomatic offensive has also led to a U.S. effort to improve ties with Syria. During the past year, Washington has treated the Damascus regime as something of a pariah because of Syria's support of international terrorism. Now, however, the Administration professes to be encouraged by Assad's efforts to shed that reputation. Following a letter to Assad from President Reagan last month, the White House announced it will soon send an envoy to Damascus to explore ways of improving relations...
...Washington, White House officials disclosed last week that Syrian President Hafez Assad had accepted a written proposal from President Reagan for high-level talks on a variety of issues. The U.S. envoy to Damascus is likely to be Ambassador to the United Nations Vernon Walters...
...abduction was a particular embarrassment to Syrian President Hafez Assad, whose forces ostensibly control the Muslim half of Beirut. Glass was the first person to be kidnaped since 7,500 Syrian troops entered the city on Feb. 22, and to make matters worse, Syrian troops manned a checkpoint just 350 yds. from where the abduction took place. Moreover, the elder Osseiran, head of a powerful Shi'ite clan in Lebanon, is an important Syrian ally in Lebanese politics. Assad's troops began an intensive search for the latest kidnap victims, but by week's end they had turned...
Arafat wants to consolidate all Palestinian groups under the P.L.O. umbrella, perhaps to prepare them for possible negotiations with Israel within the framework of an international peace conference. He also wants to prevent his Arab rivals, notably Syrian President Hafez Assad, from continuing to exploit Palestinian feuding. For his part, Abu Nidal might welcome a reconciliation with the P.L.O. because his relations with his Syrian hosts have cooled considerably since 1986, when Assad came under heavy international pressure to distance himself from Abu Nidal-style terrorism...