Syria wants to have its say, but

[spindrifter]

US is determined not to listen
By Michael Binyon and Tim Reid

The Times July 24, 2006

WHEN Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, meets European and Arab foreign ministers in Rome on Wednesday, one key minister from the region will be missing.
Syria, the main Arab backer of Hezbollah, has not been invited to the emergency talks, but yesterday it made clear that it has plenty to say — and wants a role in any plan to end the fighting.



“Syria is ready for dialogue with the US based on respect and mutual interests,” Faisal al-Meqdad, an influential Deputy Foreign Minister, said in an interview yesterday.

He offered to “facilitate communication” with Hezbollah, but insisted that Damascus could not speak for the militant group which, he said, made its own decisions.

<more>

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2282996,00.html

[blonndee]

1. Ignoring Syria is not going to make them go away,

Condi.

[spindrifter]

2. Ignoring Syria is an insult that C*ndi can't afford to make.

[blonndee]

3. I agree. This could be really, really bad.

They hardly have any "principled" reasons not to do so, and everybody knows it. They're deliberately kicking sand in Syria's face.