(White House) - President Bush on Monday threatened Syria with new diplomatic or economic measures to pressure the country over its suspected interference in Iraqi politics. "We have sent messages to the Syrians in the past and we will continue to do so. We have tools at our disposal - a variety of tools, ranging from diplomatic tools to economic pressure. Nothing's taken off the table," Bush said. "We ought to be working with the Syrian government to prevent them from either sending money and/or support of any kind" to the insurgents in Iraq, Bush added. (Reuters) See also Bush Discusses Palestinian Democracy President Bush responded to a question at a press conference Monday: "I gave the speech June 24, 2002, in the Rose Garden that laid out the vision about how to achieve...a peaceful solution, and something that I hope happens. But I'm realistic about how to achieve peace. And it starts with my understanding that there will never be peace until a true democratic state emerges in the Palestinian territory....The Palestinians...will have elections, which is the beginning of the process toward the development of a state. It is not the sign that democracy has arrived." "I subscribe to this theory that the only way to achieve peace is for there to be democracies living side-by-side. Democracies don't fight each other. And the last system didn't work, which was the hope that a Palestinian authority, run by a singular head, who on some days would say we're for peace and some days would say now is the time to attack; hope that everything would be fine. It just didn't work."
2004-12-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive