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U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. (AP)
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Washington: There is no place yet for Syria in peace process
By Shmuel Rosner, Haaretz Correspond
Tags: peace process, Israel, U.S. 

WASHINGTON - U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said Thursday it is difficult to see how Syria can fit into the renewed peace process.

"Syria is a state that supports terror, including Hezbollah and Hamas," Hadley told students in a speech at Johns Hopkins University's international studies school in Washington. He spoke just after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert headed home following the Middle East peace conference, held in Annapolis Tuesday.

Hadley said Syria's policy was not compatible with "what we've seen" at Annapolis.
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He said Israel would be the one to decide whether to negotiate with Syria, but he left no room for doubt on the United States' position on this issue. Hadley said Syria must make a fundamental decision.

"There is a new spirit in the Middle East, a real chance for peace. Will Syria be left on the sidelines or give up its support for terror, leave Lebanon alone, support the Iraqi government and make a decision in favor of peace?"

If Syria takes this course it will have a chance for an agreement on the Golan Heights, but if it doesn't, "I don't see how it can be part of this process," he said.

Hadley implied that Syria's leaders had not shown the necessary fundamental change despite sending a representative to Annapolis. Syria sent its deputy foreign minister to the conference - a lower-ranking official than other countries sent.

President George W. Bush's opening statement reflected his dissatisfaction with Syria, whose invitation to the summit had raised a controversy in the administration. The only issue Bush addressed apart from relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority was the situation in Lebanon.

Hadley said on Wednesday that "all those present, except one" - meaning the Syrian representative - had applauded after Olmert's speech at the conference.

However, Washington sources said that at the end of the conference Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shook the Syrian official's hand and thanked him for his participation.

State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said in his daily briefing that the Syrian representative's speech at the summit was "positive and constructive." But McCormack added that the Syrian channel was "a lot less ripe" than the Palestinian one, on which the administration was concentrating.

Hadley said that it was Bush's insistence on a policy of zero tolerance for terror that had created the opportunity for a renewed peace process in the Middle East. His speech defended Bush against critics who said he took too long before trying to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He said the new opportunity was created for several reasons, including Bush's policies of the last six years. Hadley reminded his audience that the world had been "in shock" when Bush decided to sever ties with Yasser Arafat and that Bush had supported former prime minister Ariel Sharon's efforts "to protect the Israelis from terror."

Hadley said Bush was not interested in just any Palestinian state but in one that would adhere to standards of democracy, freedom and a lack of terror. He reiterated that Bush did not believe in "forcing an American solution" on the two sides, stating that only the Israelis and Palestinians could reach agreements that both nations would accept.

Hadley also spoke about the connection that the Bush administration saw between solving the Palestinian problem and the general agenda of "advancing freedom in the Middle East."

He said that if the Palestinians make the right choice, their historians will look back on the 2006 parliamentary elections, in which Hamas gained power, as a pyrrhic victory, more of a mishap than a failure of Palestinian democracy.

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      1.   Is there place for anyone else either? 03:59  |  MiddleStanian 30/11/07
      2.   "...all except one" 04:46  |  Blogowitz 30/11/07
      3.   Counterintuitive? Recognize Syrian "interests" In Lebanon 04:57  |  dyinglikeflies 30/11/07
      4.   Peace in The Middle east 05:17  |  Typherious 30/11/07
      5.   @Dyinglikeflies 05:19  |  Typherious 30/11/07
      6.   peace may be authentic this time around, who knew 05:40  |  Igor D. 30/11/07
      7.   @ ME Arabs 06:27  |  Typherious 30/11/07
      8.   To DyingLikeFlies (#3) 06:42  |  Morris Valentine 30/11/07
      9.   Typherious needs to come down to reality! 06:43  |  DR 30/11/07
      10.   Israel and America only make peace with friends 06:44  |  Natallie Durson 30/11/07
      11.   "all those present, except one" 07:44  |  Johan 30/11/07
      12.   I wouldn`t do that Gringo 07:56  |  infidel 30/11/07
      13.   poor Lebanon, they are ready to sacrifice you 08:13  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/11/07
      14.   #10, Durson 09:36  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/11/07
      15.   Hadley predictably singing from the Israeli hymnbook 09:52  |  Clickfool 30/11/07
      16.   #15, Hadley is singing from the American hymnbook 10:13  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/11/07
      17.   Not yet or not ever? 10:21  |  Anton 30/11/07
      18.   the Golan belongs to Israel 10:25  |  bil 30/11/07
      19.   NO PLACE FOR SYRIA? ... I DIDN`T KNOW THE US IS A M.E. COUNTRY??! 10:38  |  TrippleJump 30/11/07
      20.   ... so, why was Syria invited? 10:38  |  Eric 30/11/07
      21.   Syria Looking For Assad`s Survival, Not Just Golan 10:43  |  dyinglikeflies 30/11/07
      22.   Assad ponders his beads 11:28  |  FOX 30/11/07
      23.   # 14 Kohn .. Exactly my point .. thank you 11:46  |  Natallie Durson 30/11/07
      24.   THIS IS TOO MUCH ALREADY 11:59  |  indrajaya 30/11/07
      25.   NOR AMERICA, the biggest terrorist sponsor of all 12:11  |  VIPER 30/11/07
      26.   FORGET GOLAN HADLEY 12:32  |  BOB KING THE ZIONIST 30/11/07
      27.   Syria, Fatahstan, Hamastan, Hizbollahstan, Saudistan,Taliban SAME 12:50  |  Mark Hamil 30/11/07
      28.   #13 Well Cipora 13:18  |  Hubal 30/11/07
      29.   Syria is just a terrorist state supporting terror. 13:45  |  maurice 30/11/07
      30.   Indrajaya, They invited "an axis of evil" 13:55  |  Mark 30/11/07
      31.   Assad soaring high like a vulture looking for its prey. 13:55  |  Karl 30/11/07
      32.   Viper, Bush is making the USA fascist! 13:57  |  Mark 30/11/07
      33.   The Syria,Iran,Hamas,Hizbollah alliance will stand firm against 14:08  |  lakshmi 30/11/07
      34.   Syrian `peace` 14:11  |  W.Anchor 30/11/07
      35.   Mark (30), sorry, if not insane it were not politics! 14:37  |  Karl 30/11/07
      36.   maurice#29... I KNOW ANOTHER COUNTRY THAT FITS YOUR DESCRIPTION.. 14:41  |  TrippleJump 30/11/07
      37.   Ask Syria`s neighbors 15:02  |  FOX 30/11/07
      38.   Are you behind this, Indrajaya? 15:05  |  utagawa 30/11/07
      39.   My way or else 15:27  |  Binco 30/11/07
      40.   No Place at the table? 15:28  |  Fahmi Natour 30/11/07
      41.   Lashes in the name of Mohammed 15:59  |  FOX 30/11/07
      42.   To36 TrippleJump, harboring terrorists groups 16:18  |  maurice 30/11/07
      43.   typherious,if your going to talk about the christian crusades,you 16:20  |  terrornator 30/11/07
      44.   Washingon: There is no peace process 16:21  |  Stephen Murray 30/11/07
      45.   #28, Hubal 16:35  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/11/07
      46.   She wanted to be a Martyr 16:39  |  Ashraf 30/11/07
      47.   That Poor Brit. 17:04  |  Fahmi Natour 30/11/07
      48.   No Place for the USA 17:12  |  Joe 30/11/07
      49.   Who cares? 17:14  |  Fritz Teich 30/11/07
      50.   peace 17:41  |  joe 30/11/07
      51.   The carriage and the horses; Bush&Olmert on the road to Damascus 17:43  |  Tosefta 30/11/07
      52.   341, fox hate or rationale 17:44  |  Ray 30/11/07
      53.   Triple Jump& maurice,hey Triple Jump remember who the Gemayel 17:49  |  lakshmi 30/11/07
      54.   #49 Fritz Teich 18:07  |  tbora 30/11/07
      55.   #23, Durson 18:20  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/11/07
      56.   Hadley is a neocon idiot 19:10  |  W 30/11/07
      57.   CJK #55 re: Durson 19:12  |  TonyL 30/11/07
      58.   Alawites 19:14  |  Clegg 30/11/07
      59.   55, Zionist State 19:31  |  Ray 30/11/07
      60.   Ashraf I do believe you`re talking nonsense 19:43  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 30/11/07
      61.   Joe your questions are too honest 19:46  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 30/11/07
      62.   Tosefta (#51)needs to accept the reality of world power politics 19:50  |  Voice of Reason 30/11/07
      63.   Syria`s integrity 19:51  |  Goldberg 30/11/07
      64.   62Tosefta,nothing to do with the Left or T.or anyone else,the 20:22  |  lakshmi 30/11/07
      65.   To Cipora (#13) 20:27  |  Morris Valentine 30/11/07
      66.   Don`t you wish for war Tosefta? 20:31  |  Jewboy 30/11/07
      67.   FOX - the problem is not Islamic religion... 20:37  |  Jewboy 30/11/07
      68.   #57, TonyL 20:47  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/11/07
      69.   #65, Morris Valentine 21:39  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/11/07
      70.   Confounding friendship ans possession 22:32  |  christoph 30/11/07
      71.   #69, Kohn- That`s Not What Anyone Suggests 22:35  |  dyinglikeflies 30/11/07
      72.   Correction post 64 directed to Voice of Reason 22:53  |  lakshmi 30/11/07
      73.   To Cipora (#69) 23:15  |  Morris Valentine 30/11/07
      74.   Cipora 23:24  |  christoph 30/11/07
      75.   To DyingLikeFlies (#71) 23:26  |  Morris Valentine 30/11/07
      76.   #71, dyinglikeflies 23:57  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/11/07
      77.   #73, "ease fears of Israeli hegemony" 00:08  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/12/07
      78.   #74, cristoph 00:13  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/12/07
      79.   @terrornator 00:31  |  Typherious 01/12/07
      80.&n