THE SYRIA QUESTION

Secretary of State James A. Baker III’s meetings with Syrian President Hafez Assad aim to persuade Syria to join efforts for peace with Israel and the Mideast. But a record of terrorism in Syria poses problems:

WHAT BAKER WANTS FROM SYRIA

In addition to peace with Israel, Baker wants:

* Syria to help obtain freedom for 6 Americans and other Western hostages held by radicals in a Syrian-dominated part of Lebanon.

* Syria to contribute troops to a peacekeeping force in the Gulf.

WHAT GIVES U.S. OFFICIALS PAUSE

* Syria’s human rights record is terrible. Amnesty International has accused Syria of organized torture, including use of a so-called Syrian chair that snaps the spine of those strapped into it. Still, the number of prisoner disappearances and executions has decreased.

* U.S. officials say Syria provides a haven for terrorists, including Ahmed Jibril whose Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command is believed responsible for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in which 270 people were killed. Syria is on a list of seven countries ineligible for U.S. aid because they support terrorism.

* Syria also is on a list of countries the U.S. suspects of developing chemical and biological weapons. U.S. officials say Syria has hundreds of tons of poison gas and can lob chemical warheads on missiles into Israel.