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Can Clinton Deliver U.S. Aid to Syria?
by Gary C. Gambill
According to a recent article in the New York Post, President Clinton has agreed to provide Syria with $15 billion in economic aid and is considering a Syrian request for an additional several billion dollars in US military assistance.1 In light of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's commitment to withdraw fully from the Golan Heights, the main prerequisites for a Syrian-Israeli peace accord would seem to be in place.
However, it now appears that obtaining congressional approval for economic and/or military aid to Syria will be virtually impossible. Any delusions that the administration may have had on this score were dispelled during a hearing of the House International Relations Committee last month attended by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
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| Rep. Steven Rothman |
"I am, and I believe the American people are, disgusted and outraged at the way he continues to behave as a brutish thug of a dictator and the murderous individual that he is," said Rep. Steven Rothman [D-New Jersey]. "I would like you to pass a message on to that thug, dictator, ruthless individual, Mr. Hafez al-Assad, that the United States Congress and the American people will not forget his behavior," added Rothman, addressing Albright. "The American people and the United States Congress will not forget his immorality and his ruthlessness, and his failure to come to terms and make peace in that region."
Rep. Tom Lantos [D-California] accused Assad of resorting to violence after failing to obtain a prior commitment from Israel to withdraw fully from the Golan Heights. "Since he did not see the meetings in this country ... bringing immediate fruit, he has now wrapped up his surrogates, the Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and has begun the pattern of violence and terrorism," Lantos said.2
Congressional sources have told MEIB that at this point Clinton cannot even muster a majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives to support aid to Syria. Moreover, in light of the upcoming presidential election, it is almost certain that the Republicans will vote en masse to deny Clinton the means of achieving his most desired foreign policy goal.
Overturning such a groundswell of opposition in Congress will be virtually impossible because it happens to be reflective of public opinion in the US. According to a January 13 poll by John McLaughlin & Associates on behalf of Middle East Quarterly, 63.8% of Americans oppose US aid to Syria "to strengthen Syria's economy, in return for Syria signing a peace treaty with Israel" while only 21% support such aid--a 3 to 1 margin. The level of opposition is even greater for aid "to strengthen Syria's military" (66.5% to 16.9%).
The position of traditionally pro-Israeli interest groups and think tanks is divided. Morton A. Klein, President of the Zionist Organization of America, declared earlier this year that "we urge the Clinton administration and the U.S. Congress to heed the overwhelming majority of Americans and refrain from authorizing any American aid to Syria."3 On the other hand, some left-leaning pro-Israel groups have discretely supported aid to Syria. Thomas Smerling, director of the Israel Policy Forum, recently denied that he is explicitly advocating economic and military aid to Syria, but says his group is encouraging Congress "not to foreclose any options before a deal is struck."4 The Anti-Defamation League has publicly endorsed aid to Syria. "I definitely envision the prospect of U.S. direct aid to Syria in a combination with other countries," said ADL National Director Abraham Foxman in January.5 The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) does not appear to have yet taken a position on the issue.
Fearing that its promised aid package may not materialize, the Clinton administration has begun a desperate search for alternative sources of financial "sweeteners" to coax the Syrians into a final agreement with Israel. According to the London-based Arab daily, Al-Quds al-Arabi, US officials have "recruited" Saudi Arabia to provide funding to Damascus, contingent upon the signing of a peace agreement with Israel.6 Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah visited Damascus earlier this month.
However, most observers doubt that anything short of a massive American assistance package will suffice for Damascus. Syrian President Hafez Assad has continually criticized the Egyptians for making peace with Israel over the years. To accept significantly less than the Egyptians obtained in return for peace would be a risky venture that no one in Damascus is seriously entertaining.
1 The New York Post, 24 February 2000.
2 "US lawmaker hurls invective at Assad, asks Albright to convey message," Agence France Presse, 16 February 2000.
3 ZOA Press Release, 27 January 2000.
4 "Sharon Cautions West Against Aid to Syria in Any Peace Deal," The New York Times, 1 March 2000.
5 "American Jewish leaders tour Arab states to lobby for Syria treaty," MENL, 18 January 2000.
6 Al-Quds al-Arabi, 29 February 2000.
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