Group meets with Syrian President in Damascus

A group of experts under the auspices of the United States Institute for Peace announced that it had met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on January 11, 2009.  The delegation included Ellen Laipson, president and CEO of the Ploughshares-funded Stimson Center.  Laipson was also a White House advisor under President Clinton and part of the Obama transition team.   President Assad called for a "positive" dialogue with Washington and told the group  that he would be willing to resume negotiations with Israel after its elections.  The White House attempted to distance itself from news of the talks after President Obama had “made it very clear” that there would be “no contacts with foreign government officials during the transition.”