California's Stanley Sheinbaum's Meetings with Syria's Hafez Al-Assad

By Pat and Samir Twair

When Stanley K. Sheinbaum's commentary "For a Winning Deal, Count Hafez Assad In," appeared in the Dec. 1 issue of the Los Angeles Times, we were intrigued by mention at the end of the column that this prominent Southern Californian had met with Hafez Al Assad in Damascus.

How many other non-official Americans, particularly Jewish Americans, had met with the Syrian president, we wondered?

When we posed the question to the economist, former Los Angeles police commissioner, University of California regent and free-lance diplomat, Sheinbaum said he had met with Assad twice.

"I'm not running a government, I have nothing personal to gain, but I do have a feeling of what should be done," stated Sheinbaum, who organized the team of American Jewish leaders who met with Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat at the time he publicly pledged to recognize Israel and disavow terrorism. That was in Stockholm in 1988. Sheinbaum also takes credit for delivering Arafat's message to President Clinton in May 1993 that he would accept a Gaza, Jericho first agreement.

Granted, it was mind-boggling back in 1988 when Sheinbaum's group met with Arafat, at a time when the U.S. government still refused to have any dealings with the PLO chairman, but how did Sheinbaum manage in 1993 to set up his first meeting with Assad, an elusive leader whom even few Syrians have seen other than on TV?

Harking back to the September 1993 White House signing of the Oslo agreement between the PLO and Israel, Sheinbaum said he and his wife Betty were dinner guests of the Clintons two nights later and he told the president he might visit Assad and try to reopen the Syrian track on peace negotiations. The president replied: "I want you to go."

Sheinbaum talked to Syrian Ambassador Walid al-Moualim, whom he already knew, and said he didn't want to go just to shake hands or have a meaningless conversation. Al-Moualim assured him this would not happen.

In early November, Sheinbaum arrived in Damascus and went to talk to Assad in his new hilltop presidential palace. "I had anticipated tough negotiations," Sheinbaum recalled. However, within the first three or four minutes, Assad commented: "I understand you are friends with President Clinton and Secretary [of State] Christopher. I'll tell you what I want. I want you to get me a summit with President Clinton."

Sheinbaum got him that summit for the next January in Geneva. So much for their first meeting and that "tough" negotiation.

But what was it like to talk with Assad?, we persisted.

"He's smart and he's shrewd. He also likes to banter," Sheinbaum replied. "And this is a lot of fun." Their conversation lasted more than five hours and Sheinbaum quickly confirmed that the Syrian leader is no admirer of Arafat. "He expressed the thought that Israel made a mistake by making a deal with Arafat because Arafat doesn't command the respect of all the Palestinians."

Sheinbaum dared to tread where Syrian advisers never would and told Assad he should concentrate more attention on Syria's economy and less on building his military capability. They discussed Syria's developing relationship with the U.S. "Assad was proud of taking part on the side of the allies in the Gulf war," Sheinbaum said, "but he seemed to feel he should have been rewarded for this—especially to be included in talks on the future of the region."

A Less Successful Meeting

Sheinbaum's second meeting with Assad wasn't as successful. The Californian had concluded that peace negotiations would improve if the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Assad were to meet face to face. Washington didn't seem to go along with the one-on-one idea and when Sheinbaum presented his proposal to the Syrian ambassador he, too, seemed uninterested. However, Rabin was most agreeable to the proposal. The dilemma was how to get back to Assad a second time? Finally, Sheinbaum's longtime friend, former Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, presented the idea to Assad, who said he wasn't in favor of it but he would discuss it with Sheinbaum.

On Feb. 22, 1995, Sheinbaum met with Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Charaa.

"I had the feeling Assad didn't want to meet directly with an Israeli because it would be demeaning," he stated. "He expressed the view that such decisive negotiations required a third party to ensure both sides would adhere to the agreements. He clearly doesn't want to negotiate without the U.S.

"I have the distinct impression," Sheinbaum continued, "that Assad believes things get planned for the region, and then he is informed about it. Many people were of the opinion Assad was worried because he didn't attend the multi-nation economic meeting in Morocco and again the one in Amman. A good sign recently was that Assad did attend the economic meeting in Barcelona that was called by the European Community."

Sheinbaum voices strong regrets that Damascus wasn't considered as headquarters for the new regional economic development bank. "This would have brought him into the game of nations with an elevated status. But it's too late now, the bank will be in Cairo."

Other concerns of the Syrian president, as Sheinbaum sees them, are his worry that King Hussein of Jordan wants to create a barrier between Assad and the Saudis and that Jordan is taking part in discussions on reconfigurations in the region but without Syria. Assad also is concerned about the future of a Saddam-less Iraq. Sheinbaum predicted in his Dec. 1 article that if the U.S. continues to snub Assad, the Syrian leader might make an alliance with Turkey to the north and strengthen his existing ties to Iran to the east—an axis Washington surely does not want.

"The attitude still exists about Assad that he is a protector of terrorists," Sheinbaum noted. "The notion therefore that he's not to be trusted because he has killed many people is reminiscent of old attitudes about Arafat. We have to be open to the possibility he will change."

It's fascinating to talk to a man who's on a first-name basis with kings and dictators, policy-makers and presidents. The Clintons have dined at the Sheinbaum home and so have King Hussein and Queen Noor as well as Hollywood's own "royalty." Stanley Sheinbaum seems to be in the center of whatever is making headlines. That's why it probably should have come as no surprise to us when we pulled up to the gated Sheinbaum residence on Rockingham Avenue to discover that O.J. Simpson's world-famous mansion is right across the street.

Sheikh Shamseddine in Los Angeles

The spiritual leader of an estimated one million Shi'i Muslims living in Lebanon was the guest of honor at a Dec. 1 reception in the Los Angeles home of Lebanese Consul General Gebran Soufan. More than 60 members of the Southern California Arab-American community were invited to meet Sheikh Mohammad Mehdi Shamseddine to hear his perspectives on Lebanon, the United States, Israel and Syria.

"Frictions between religious and political groups are healing [in Lebanon]," Sheikh Shamseddin stated. Despite differences in policies, the sheikh said he regards the U.S. as a friendly country. "What concerns me is the role Washington could play in the peace process if it truly were non-biased. I look forward to the day the U.S. will become an honest broker."

As for Israel: "There would be no more bullets between us if Israel were to comply with United Nations Resolution 425 [calling for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon]. We don't need to negotiate. If Israel withdraws from Lebanon, then our differences will be over."

Turning to Lebanon's civil war, the sheikh said there have been many references to strangers fighting on Lebanese soil. "These strangers wouldn't have fought in Lebanon if we hadn't invited them," he reminded dissenters in the room, which contained some supporters of the Maronite Christian Gemayel family and Maronite warlords Michel Aoun and Samir Geagea.

"Syria," Sheikh Shamseddin emphasized, "is a sister Arab country, a neighbor. If our neighbor were Sudan, Somalia or any other Arab country, we would be friendly, no matter what."

Stressing that Lebanon needs Syria more than Syria needs Lebanon, the Shi'i spiritual leader pointed out that Syria protects Lebanon from Israel. "Syria may enjoy some benefits from Lebanon, but Lebanon has more to gain from the relationship," he said. Out of respect for the speaker and their host, the many dissenters from this view in the room listened in silence.

"We don't need to beg the U.S. for aid," Sheikh Shamseddin concluded. "I'm not here to plead for U.S. assistance. What we are in need of is justice for Lebanon and for the entire region."

Pat and Samir Twair are free-lance writers from Southern California.