US: There will be no bilateral talks with Iran or Syria
 The White House Wednesday again rejected bilateral talks with Iran and Syria despite agreeing to participate with the two countries in an international security conference on Iraq on March 10.
"There will not be bilateral talks between the United States and Iran, or the United States and Syria, within the context of these meetings," White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters.
"These are organized by the Iraqis and these are on issues that are pertinent to Iraq," Snow said.
"As for whether the United States has changed its policy dramatically, it has not," he added, replying to speculation that joining the conference together with Tehran and Damascus was a sign of Washington's warming toward the two US arch-rivals in the Middle East.
"We are not engaging in diplomatic recognition of Iran. We are not engaging in bilateral talks with Iran," Snow continued.
"A number of people have been characterizing US participation in a regional meeting as a change in policy, it is nothing of the sort," he emphasized.
Democrats, meanwhile, lauded the news that the US would participate in the conference with Iran and Syria, but expressed disappointment that there would be no face-to-face talks with the countries.
"This development is long overdue. I hope this is the first step in a more comprehensive diplomatic effort by the Bush administration to begin to bring all countries in the region together to help stabilize Iraq and begin redeployment out of that country," US Senator Chris Dodd, a 2008 Democratic presidential contender, said Wednesday.
"I'm disheartened to hear, however, that these talks will be strictly about Iraq and not other critical issues, such as terrorism and nuclear weapons programs, which must be addressed and resolved as quickly as possible," Dodd said in a statement.
 Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, said that outreach to the two nations should have taken place "some time ago."
"We're years behind having done that. It's so important that we understand the war will be won diplomatically, not militarily. We need a diplomatic surge, not a military surge," Reid said, referring to Bush's plan to introduce 21,500 additional US combat troops in Iraq.
"As the Iraq Study Group said, the president and his administration should reach out to the Syrians and the Iranians. I support these talks. They should have happened some time ago," said Reid.
Tony Snow did concede that if topics regarding Iran and Syria came up, the US would address them. However, the US will not press the issue. "If, in fact, topics like EFPs and such come up in that conference, obviously we will address them," he said, referring to the deadly "explosive formed penetrator" projectiles used against US forces that Washington says are being supplied to Iraqi insurgents from Iran.
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With Wire Reports
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