BUSH: SYRIA MUST WAIT FOR PEACE (BUT NOT FOR PUNISHMENT)

Bush: Assad Must Wait
President Bush wants Israel to make peace with the Palestinians before considering Syria's offer of talks, Yediot Ahronot newspaper reported Sunday. Washington correspondent Orly Azulai reported she asked Bush about Syria during a reception for journalists. Syria is a very weak state, that is why it cannot be trusted, the president reportedly said. Now Assad must wait: First peace between Israel and Palestine and then we'll see what to do with Syria, Bush reportedly added. (UPI/Washington Times)

SEE ALSO: U.S. Weighs Punishing Syria - Janine Zacharia (Jerusalem Post)
Livid over Syria's sheltering of former Iraqi Baathists who are using Syrian territory to help organize the insurgency against U.S. forces, Washington is contemplating a range of punitive measures to use against Damascus. "It's clear we are heading into some kind of confrontation with Syria unless the Syrians reverse their policy," a senior government official said, suggesting that fresh sanctions could come first. "It's not just about border control. It's about what the Syrian government is tolerating inside Syria," the official added. The U.S. has provided Syria with a list of people it would like to see detained who are either planning attacks against Americans in Iraq or raising money for the insurgency, but Syria has failed to honor Washington's request.