Assad Offers a Warm Tone for Syrian-U.S. Relations

In a July 4th message relayed from Damascus to Washington, Syrian president Bashar Assad praised President Obama and extended him an invitation to visit Syria.  The AP reports that Assad’s overture signals that Damascus is “hedging its bets in Mideast politics,” by leaning toward the U.S. as its Iranian and Hezbollah allies face recent electoral setbacks. The Syrian president had mentioned dialogue with Obama in a Sky News interview on Friday. The invitation comes in the wake of the State Department plans to reappoint an American ambassador to Syria; predictions about who will fill that post emerged last week.