Damascus Offers Iran Lessons About Dealing with West

Iranian authorities should learn from Damascus how to have good relations with the west without abandoning their national principles, wrote Ziad Haidar in an August 23 op-ed article in the pro-government daily Al-Watan.



The author said that Tehran was facing in recent months what Damascus had encountered in the past four years, a reference to pressure from western powers.



The difference between the two countries was Syria’s ability to negotiate and show flexibility with the west without harming its national interests, he added.



The author argued that Iran’s ideological stances prevented it from holding a dialogue with the west as Damascus has done.



He said Iran was unable to reconcile its positions with those of the west although Tehran and Washington shared common strategic goals in the past five years, notably the toppling of the Taleban regime in Afghanistan and of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.



Damascus could be a model to emulate by Iranian authorities given the success of its ties with the west based on a firm stand at home and visionary tactics, Haidar said.