#cablegate picks , part 1 - Syria and US relationships.

In following days I will blog (quote) best picks from http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/ documents.

I'm following #cablegate hashtag on Twitter.


@ElijahLynn "Syria...had refused to cooperate with President Bush because it did not trust him and because..." #10DAMASCUS8

8. (S) Syria, Asad explained, had refused to cooperate with
President Bush because it did not trust him and because the
Bush Administration had wrongfully accused Syria of
supporting foreign fighters. When President Obama assumed
office, Syria tried to be positive. Asad he had proposed to
Special Envoy Mitchell the idea of a border security
cooperation initiative with Iraq as a first step. (Post
Comment: Asad's recollection is both selective and
inaccurate. U.S. officials first proposed a border security
cooperation initiative to a reluctant FM Muallim in May 2009.
President Asad agreed to participate after meeting S/E
Mitchell in late July 2009.) "This was a small step for me,
but big for you," Asad argued. Citing the U.S. inability to
control its long border with Mexico, Asad said the border was
not the major challenge. Syria's close intelligence
cooperation with Turkey enabled both countries to prevent
terrorists from crossing their 860-kilometer border without
relying on a huge border security presence. This
intelligence cooperation enabled Syria to "suffocate"
logistical networks critical to the movement of terrorists.
"In the U.S., you like to shoot (terrorists). Suffocating
their networks is far more effective," said Asad.

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2010/01/10DAMASCUS8.html