British PM Tony Blair urged the international community today to engage Iran and Syria to advance the peace process in the Middle East, a sharp contrast to existing U.S. engagement policies, which may shift following publication of the Baker report.
Blair said the outcome of the Iraq war was central to bringing peace to the Middle East, and the world must make clear to Syria and Iran how they can assist in the process as well as the consequences of hindering it.
The U.S. has said it was willing to hold direct talks with Iran about Iraq, but does not want to discuss broader subjects such as Iran's nuclear program until Tehran verifiably suspends its uranium enrichment activities. On Syria, the U.S. wants Damascus to stop backing Hezbollah, end their support of Palestinian terrorism by evicting the Hamas leadership and help crack down on insurgents crossing into Iraq.
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