Syria ready for talks with US

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published on Friday that his country wanted a direct dialogue with the United States a...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published on Friday that his country wanted a direct dialogue with the United States although Washington’s policy in West Asia lacked vision.

Relations between Washington and Syria, strained for years, have deteriorated further since the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut last week. The Lebanese Opposition blames Syria for the killing and, backed by the United States and former colonial power France, have called for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Washington says it may back international sanctions on Syria.

Assad made no mention of Lebanon in the interview, which took place after Hariri’s killing. ‘‘Talks on security issues must not be broken. The only way to do this is through direct dialogue. We are seeking this but cannot find the same attitude in some US circles,’’ Assad told Turkey’s top-selling Hurriyet daily in an interview.

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‘‘We see the US as a super power which can prevent chaos in the world. But this role requires a general vision. Unfortunately at the moment this vision is lacking. This lack of a vision causes us and the world to worry,’’ he said. Assad said the US should consider not only its own interests but those of other countries. ‘‘The West Asia peace process and the Iraq issue are being evaluated only in terms of US interests. That is why the United States has lost respect and credibility,’’ he said.

Syria, which strongly denies any hand in Hariri’s death, said on Thursday it planned to pull back more troops to eastern Lebanon in line with a 16-year-old agreement. It also said it was ready to work with the United Nations to implement a Security Council resolution demanding its 14,000 troops leave Lebanon.