Bolstered by its association with Hizbullah, Syria has now reasserted itself as Lebanon's friend and ally, writes Michael Jansen
Ahead of the visit to Damascus by UN secretary general Kofi Annan, Syria has attempted to create a positive atmosphere for talks on arrangements for the expanded UN force in Lebanon.
During a press conference with US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal Mekdad said Syria is pleased that Unifil will not disarm Hizbullah, spoke of Syria's "permanent support" for the force, and promised that Damascus would use its influence to secure the release of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hizbullah on July 12th.
Bolstered by its association with Hizbullah, considered by most Arabs to be the victor in the 34-day conflict with Israel, Syria has reasserted itself as Lebanon's friend and ally.
During the war, Syria hosted 200,000 displaced Lebanese and served as a base for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Lebanon.
Since Israel clamped its six-week-old land, sea and air blockade on Lebanon, Syria has supplied its neighbour with fuel and electricity and allowed Lebanon's national carrier to fly out of Damascus.
Last week relations came under strain when Syrian president Bashar Assad warned the Lebanese government, dominated by the anti-Syrian March 14th movement, that Damascus would close the border with Lebanon if UN troops were stationed along their frontier.
Lebanon's information minister Ghazi Aridi, a senior figure in March 14th, averted a rift by saying that the dispatch of Unifil to the Syrian border "is out of the question". Lebanese army troops have begun deploying there.
Syria has often shut its border with Lebanon when Beirut's policies have been deemed damaging to Damascus's interests. At the present time maintaining the military strength of Hizbullah is a major Syrian interest. The movement is regarded as the only deterrent to Israeli military action against its antagonists Syria and Iran and the sole means of exerting pressure on Israel to negotiate land for peace agreements with Damascus and the Palestinian Authority.
Dr Assad's primary political objective is to secure the return of the Syrian Golan Heights occupied by Israel in 1967. Negotiations between Syria and Israel over the Golan ceased in 1996.
On the regional scene, Syria and its ally Iran have been strengthened by Hizbullah's performance in the battle against Israel, and the two countries have agreed to continue co-ordinating policies. This puts Dr Assad at odds with the pro-Western rulers of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, who are deeply suspicious of Iran and criticised Hizbullah for provoking Israel by seizing its soldiers.
During the war, Dr Assad violated a long-standing ban on verbal attacks against other Arab leaders by castigating these rulers as "half men" for criticising Hizbullah and failing to offer the movement support while it was fighting Israel. His remarks resonated with many Arabs who are furious over their governments' attitude toward Hizbullah. Stung by popular anger, Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak later called Hizbullah's campaign a victory for all Arabs.
Once the ceasefire was in place, Damascus was cheered when Israeli defence minister Amir Peretz called for negotiations with Syria over the Golan. But prime minister Ehud Olmert dismissed this initiative and insisted that Syria end its support for Hizbullah and Hamas as a condition for the resumption of negotiations. Syria is unlikely to relinquish its Lebanese Hizbullah and Palestinian Hamas "cards" until a deal on the Golan is achieved.