US rebuffs Syria, Iran offers

2006-11-15 10:56

Washington - Declaring that "talking isn't a policy", the United States rebuffed overtures on Tuesday from Middle East foes Syria and Iran.

"We believe, at this point, that we are engaged in the proper course with respect to Syria, Iran, on all the various issues that are before us," state department spokesperson Sean McCormack said when pressed on whether Washington is ready to end its silent treatment of the two regimes.

"You know, talking isn't a policy," he said.

"Talking and discussion is a mechanism to achieve your policy goals" but we are not there yet, he said.

Pressure has been building on US President George W Bush to engage directly with Iran and Syria as part of a regional effort to stabilise neighbouring Iraq and permit the gradual withdrawal of US troops from that country.

Talks with the two governments are also seen as potential keys to breaking the stalemate in Arab-Israeli peace efforts.

The Democrats' thumping of Bush's Republican party to take control of congress in last week's elections added to the impetus for a change of course in US Mideast policy.

Bilateral talks proposed

Both Syria and Iran seized on the perceived political turmoil in Washington on Tuesday to propose bilateral talks, though each posed conditions.

"I will soon send a message to the American people," declared Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, offering to "talk with the US government ... on the condition that it corrects its attitude" towards Iran.

Syria's government daily Tishrin said Damascus was ready for a "dialogue" with Washington if the United States sought its help to stabilise Iraq and the Middle East at large.

"We've heard that before, haven't we?" McCormack responded curtly to the Syrian offer.

"The Syrian government, when they're feeling the heat and feeling the pressure, as they are right now, come up with these sorts of statements," he said.

McCormack reiterated US policy that Syria needs to stop harbouring Palestinian rejectionist leaders and end efforts to destabilise neighbouring Lebanon and Iraq before relations with Washington can improve.

"They have isolated themselves through their own behaviour," he said.

Turning to Iran, McCormack said Washington had offered to talk to Iran once it complies with UN demands to freeze its suspect nuclear activities and that the precondition still holds.

"We have offered to engage them - they have to meet certain conditions for that engagement, but we have offered that sort of engagement," he said.

McCormack rejected suggestions the Bush administration was cutting itself off from possible avenues out of Iraq.

"I think it's not the United States that's isolated in that regard, I would argue that it's actually Syria and Iran that's isolated," he said.

- AFP