Bush sets conditions for Iran, Syria talks
Foreign Desk Report

WASHINGTON—President George W. Bush said that Iran and Syria must stop helping extremists and commit to help Iraq’s fledgling government before any talks with the two.
Bush spoke following White House talks with his main ally, Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair, on events in Iraq and a new report by a US panel which urged the US administration to make radical changes to the handling of the Iraq war.
One of the key recommendations of the Iraq Study Group report was to launch a diplomatic initiative, including talks with Iran and Syria — two arch-foes of the United States.
“If people come to the table to discuss Iraq, they need to come understanding their responsibilities to not fund terrorists, to help this young democracy survive, to help with the economics of the country,” he said of Iran and Syria’s alleged involvement in Iraq’s troubles. “And if people are not committed, if Syria and Iran is not committed to that concept then they shouldn’t bother to show up,” said Bush, who also ruled out direct talks with Iran unless it verifiably freezes sensitive nuclear work.
Blair will launch a Middle East mission to show US and British commitment to ending the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The Iraq Study Group said that Bush had to launch a new Middle East peace effort to give the United States renewed credibility in the region.
“Prime Minister Blair informed me that he will be heading to the Middle East soon, to talk to both the Israelis and the Palestinians,” Bush told a joint press conference with the British leader. “I support the mission, because it’s important for us to advance the cause of two states living side by side in peace and helping both parties eliminate the obstacles that prevent an agreement from being reached,” Bush said. Blair said that it was important that “we do everything we can in the wider Middle East to bring about peace between Israel and the Palestinians. “This is something that I know you feel deeply and passionately about,” Blair told Bush. “You are the first president who committed yourself to the two-state solution.”
“I believe that by moving this forward, we send a very strong signal, not just to the region but to the whole of the world that we are even-handed and just in the application of our values,” he added.
Blair said he and Bush wanted to show they favored an “Israel confident of its security and a Palestinian people able to live in peace and justice and democracy.”
Bush acknowledged that “it is bad in Iraq” and that a “new approach” was needed in the country. He described the Iraq Study Group recommendations as “worthy of serious study,” but again refused to make any specific commitment.