BULLETIN No. 186

Restarting Israeli-Syrian Negotiations International Crisis Group
Forward Detente Is the Talk of Town In Damascus Syria Claims Mediation Role in West’s Standoffs With Hamas and Iran
Jerusalem Post Analysis: Don't underestimate Syria's military
The Truth About Syria By: Liz Cheney The Washington Post Anyone familiar with the past two years of Lebanese politics would never claim, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did in Damascus last week, that "the road to Damascus is a road to peace." Her assertion must have seemed especially naive to the people of Lebanon, where the list of the slain reads like a "Who's Who" of Syria's most vocal and effective opponents.
Asia Times Night bus from Baghdad In the mythology of US neo-cons, Syria is a sanctuary where jihadis rest and regroup before heading into Iraq on another bombing run. The reality is quite the opposite, as one can see at the Syria-Iraq border. The traffic is one-way - in the direction of Syria, where tens of thousands of ordinary Iraqis now live a precarious, but safe, life far from the hell of Baghdad. - Pepe Escobar
Syria Seeks Peace, Advocate Tells Israelis
Gutsy New House Speaker By: MJ Rosenberg The Jerusalem PostYou know what they say: no good deed goes unpunished. That is certainly the case with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her visit to Syria.
Forget Pelosi: What About Syria? By: Robert Malley Los Angeles TimesThe fuss about Pelosi's perfectly legitimate visit obscured a far more intriguing question: What should be done about Syria
The Smartest Observations on Pelosi and Syria - Malley and Lobe
Analysis: Syria is not a U.S. enemy
Pelosi's Syriana - Debra Saunders, San Francisco Chronicle
Yedioth Ahronoth Israeli-Syrian talks?
Syrian representative in former, informal dialogue comes to Israel for first public visit
Was it really Pelosi in Damascus?US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Syria has seemingly raised the ire of President George W Bush. Yet Bush needs a back channel to Damascus to help stabilize Lebanon and Palestine - and, more important, Iraq. Who better to do it than Pelosi, while saving Bush some face? That Damascus has to be engaged is evident by the role it played in securing the release of British sailors and marines from Iran. - Sami Moubayed

Hizbollah Stares Down UN By: Domonic Moran ISN Security WatchHizbollah condemns a UN sponsored court amid signs that Lebanon's political crisis is deepening.
Hizbullah gearing for conflict
Daily Star The battle over the Hariri court threatens to tear Lebanon apart
Al Hayat Lebanon Drifting Toward a New War Daoud Shirian - Nasrallah closed all the windows of opportunity, saying: ‘My way or the highway’, but he forgot that the majority sees no difference between the two options. The Party has subjected Lebanon to the interests of others.
Is the US backing a 'covert war' against Hizbullah in Lebanon? The militant Islamic group says Cheney plan is meant to undermine Iran's regional influence.
Drive for the International Tribunal Launched in the Security Council