Report: Russia, US assert pressure on Damascus

The Kuwaiti daily al-Watan on Friday quoted well-informed sources in the Russian capital, Moscow, as saying that Moscow and Washington are increasing their pressure on Damascus to take part in the multilateral talks concerning the Middle East due to be held in Russia on February 1.

Observers concerned in the Middle East region said that Syria's absence from these talks will inflict damage on Russia's position and reputation as one of the Middle East peace process cosponsors.

The sources indicated that Moscow and Washington are exerting their utmost efforts to convince Syria to send its foreign minister to this meeting, and the sources remarked that Moscow had made all its possible efforts in vain to convince Damascus to this end.

The sources continued that a coolness in Syrian-Russian relation is not to be ruled out, a matter which Moscow tries to avoid because Damascus is considered the only winning card in Russia's hands that is able to give it the political weight to take part in the peace process and because of the position Syrian President Hafez al-Assad enjoys-- the only factor that makes Washington accept the Russian presence and participation at a certain level in the peace process.

The observers added that losing the Syrian paper for Russia means Russia's ultimate departure from the region, noting that the EU and Japan have started to share its position in filling the space left as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union.