German Intelligence intensifies visits to Syria

  The BND has traditionally good relations with Syria. In early May, according to ARD information also traveled to a meeting in Damascus BND President Schindler. There he is said to have spoken with the Syrian intelligence to use the findings of the Syrian colleagues.

 Actually the thing for the government is clear: The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go. For that to happen, Berlin supports numerous sanctions that should isolate Assad and members of his regime internationally.

 But behind the scenes, the Germans are now looking again possibly contact: Even after information of the ARD studios Amman was Gerhard Schindler, President of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), in the first week of May on a visit to Damascus. At Schindler's side was the head of HP, responsible for combating international terrorism.

 The aim of the visit was therefore, to establish cooperation between the intelligence services of both countries again. As revealed in Damascus, the Germans have interest to use the findings of the Syrian colleagues.

 In recent months, the Syrians have arrested hundreds of radical Islamic fighters among others, who fought against government forces. These men were members of the Al-Nusra Front and other militias that have links to Al Qaeda. The BND could now be keen to benefit from the information gained about these fighters and their militias, the Syrian secret service. In Damascus there is, in the past few weeks were also intelligence from Italy, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen in the Syrian capital have been.

 If all that is true is not to check - just as there are hardly any reliable information on the situation in Syria. Basically, the BND does not comment on whether its president has made certain missions or not. Intelligence sources, however, was reported to Schindler's alleged visit to Syria has never existed, this report is unfounded.

 If the BND chief but have been in Damascus, this would certainly not mean that Berlin would have changed his attitude in the Syrian conflict. However, the regime is likely to see the visit as evidence that some of his opponents have revised their assessment of the situation in Syria abroad and the situation now look similar, like yourself: From the perspective of the Syrian government, the rebels have long permeated by religious fanatics while Assad is a secular Syria have a secure place in which religious minorities.

 Traditionally, the BND has good contacts with Damascus. Since the mid-90s he could convey several prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Syria is an important ally of Hezbollah and may have been appropriate during the negotiations in the image. These negotiations were first conducted over many years by the BND agent Gerhard Conrad and later by former intelligence coordinator and later BND President Ernst Uhrlau. Conrad was from 1998 to 2002 the Resident of the BND to the German embassy in Damascus.

By Carsten Kühntopp, ARD radio studio Amman