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Damascus: Former US president Jimmy Carter wrapped up his fifth visit to Syria on Sunday, promising a "new opportunity" to resolve tension between the US and Syria with the upcoming Obama administration.
He spoke candidly and optimistically, hinting that a US ambassador would soon be dispatched to Syria.
The post has been vacant since 2005 when Washington withdrew its ambassador over political differences. Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has made similar remarks about the dispatching of a new US ambassador to Syria.
To many, Carter's visit was no coincidence, as he was sent to be an intermediary between the Syria and the upcoming Obama administration.
Carter added that the American school in Damascus and the American Language Centre which were closed down by the Syrian government after the US struck at the border town of Abu Kamal last September, would "hopefully" be reopened.
Speaking at a press conference from the People's Palace after meeting President Al Assad, Carter tackled the indirect talks currently underway between Syria and Israel, via Turkey, saying that they were a "good beginning" and called for direct talks between both parties, to reach a peace deal that would bring the Golan Heights back to Syria.
"No peace is comprehensive without restoring the Golan to Syria," he said, a statement that pleased many Syrians.
In order for the talks to materialise into a treaty, he noted, the Americans must get involved, hoping that the new US administration will place Middle East peace high on its agenda, "abiding by the Arab Initiative, and United Nations Security Council Resolutions."
On Lebanon, which he had just visited before arriving in Damascus, Carter was visibly pleased, saying that "Syria made a good move by restoring diplomatic relations with Lebanon" and added, "I am proud of the development in relations between Lebanon and Syria."
The Bush Administration has been clearly upset with Carter's initiative towards Syria, and he admits that after 2003, he was advised not to go to Damascus by the White House and State Department.
After his meetings with Al Assad and other Syrian officials, Carter visited the Umayyad Mosque in the heart of the Old City, and the Hananiya Church. This was his second visit to Damascus in the last eight months.
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