WASHINGTON – Even though Syria is still considered a sponsor of terrorism and its actions are hostile to U.S. interests, President Obama should send an ambassador to Damascus, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said Tuesday.

Recently the Syrian president appeared with the president of Iran to say the two countries would strengthen their ties in defiance of U.S. encouragement for Syria to move away from Iran.

The two presidents also jointly criticized Israel, which backs U.S. pressure for tougher international action to halt Iran’s nuclear program, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Syria supports Iran’s enrichment of uranium as part of its nuclear program.

Obama has asked the Senate to approve his choice of an envoy, the first ambassador to Syria since President George W. Bush broke diplomatic ties with Damascus in 2005 after a former Lebanese prime minister was assassinated.

“Declining to post ambassadors to countries, though sometimes necessary, rarely serves U.S. interests for long,” Lugar said at a confirmation hearing for the diplomat. “In this case, Syria is an unavoidable factor in the Middle East peace equation.”

Lugar’s position isn’t shared by all Republicans who will vote on the nomination. Eight senators wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton two weeks ago objecting to sending an ambassador to Syria.

“Engagement of hostile regimes in pursuit of U.S. interests is not necessarily bad policy,” they wrote. “But engagement for engagement’s sake is counterproductive. However well-justified that engagement is, the U.S. pays a price for lending even a modicum of international legitimacy to a regime like Syria’s.”

Lugar acknowledged Syria has taken a series of actions to which the U.S. objects.

“Damascus has been unhelpful to stability in Iraq and the safety of our troops there,” he said. “It has supported Hamas and Hezbollah. It has harbored Iraqi Baathists, and possibly Al Qaeda-in-Iraq operatives. It has long suppressed basic freedoms and human rights and obstructed (international nuclear) investigations. Even cooperation on much smaller issues that are in Syria’s own interest has been rare. For example, Syria has refused to grant U.S. immigration officials visas to interview and process thousands of Iraqis living in Syria who are seeking resettlement in the United States.”

He said expectations of any progress an ambassador could make should be "tempered," but "it is understandable that as the administration tries to make progress on several fronts in the Middle East, it is proposing sending an ambassador to Damascus."

Nominee Robert Ford said sending an official U.S. representative to Damascus “wouldn’t be a reward for Syria,” and the Obama administration would not change the sanctions against the country.

“There is much an ambassador can and should do to help Syria implement peaceful reforms and respect for human rights,” Ford said.

“It’s very much in our national interests, especially when tensions are rising in the region, to have an ambassador,” Ford said. “Sustained dialogue, sustained lobbying are really useful to make sure both sides understand exactly what the other’s thinking is.”

sylviasmith@jg.net