Bush Threatens Syria Over Iraq Policy

President George Bush yesterday threatened Syria with increasing isolation alleging that Damascus was "trying to prevent democracies from emerging" in both Iraq and Lebanon.

Mr Bush, speaking at a press conference with the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, said he would raise punitive measures against Syria with US allies at the United Nations in New York, where he is due to address the general assembly today.

His remarks echoed more specific allegations made by Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Iraq, in a New York Times interview yesterday. Mr Khalilzad claimed that young al-Qaida volunteers from Saudi Arabia, Yemen and North Africa were still allowed to fly into Damascus and attend training camps before crossing into Iraq. He also said that the official Syrian media "glorify the terrorists as resistance fighters".

Mr Bush said yesterday: "The Syrian government can do a lot more to prevent the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq. And the Syrian leader must understand we take his lack of action seriously."

He added: "The government is going to become more and more isolated as a result of two things: one, not being cooperative with the Iraqi government in terms of securing Iraq; and two, not being fully transparent about what they did in Lebanon." The US has accused Syrian intelligence of attempting to manipulate Lebanese politics. Mr Bush concluded that in his discussions with US allies, he would insist that Syria must be made to change its behaviour.

Mr Talabani said there would be no timetable for a US troop withdrawal despite his claims that Iraq would have 100,000 "well-trained" soldiers and police by the end of the year.

He promised that he would not call for American troops to leave without Washington's agreement.

His remarks represented a reversal of statements he had made in an interview with the Washington Post in which he said that 50,000 US troops could be pulled out of Iraq by the end of this year because there were 60,000 "well-trained" Iraqis to take their place.

Yesterday, Mr Talabani toned down his predictions, saying: "We hope that by the end of 2006, our security forces are up to the level of taking responsibility from many Americans troops with complete agreement with Americans."