Syria Is ‘Out of Step,’ Bush Says

President Bush stepped up U.S. pressure on Syria on Thursday, declaring it “out of step” with advances toward democracy in the Middle East.

Speaking at a White House news conference, Bush called on Damascus to end what he said was its support for “international terrorist groups,” to pull its military forces out of Lebanon and to send former Saddam Hussein loyalists fueling an anti-American insurgency back to Iraq for prosecution.

Bush also pledged to confer with allies during his trip to Europe next week on ways to confront Damascus “to convince the Syrians to make rational decisions.”

“Syria is out of step with the progress being made in the greater Middle East,” Bush said. “Democracy is on the move, and this is a country that isn’t moving with the democratic movement.”

At the 35-minute news conference, called to announce his nomination of veteran diplomat John D. Negroponte to become the nation’s first director of national intelligence, Bush addressed an array of other domestic and foreign issues. He said he preferred diplomacy to military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and stated that his overall goal for the Middle East this year was to see “more advance toward free and democratic states.” Bush also said that one purpose of his visit to Europe would be to remind Americans as well as Europeans of the importance of strong transatlantic relations.

The president’s comments on Syria came three days after a massive car bomb killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut. The United States and other governments seized on the assassination to spotlight Syria’s continued military presence in the Mediterranean country -- a deployment Syria claims is a stabilizing influence but that the United States and most European countries view as the opposite.

Though Bush restricted his remarks to previously stated demands by administration officials for Syria to halt its alleged backing of militant groups, his comments marked the first time he has personally weighed in on the issue and, as such, were viewed as an intensification of the U.S. pressure.

Responding to the administration’s rhetoric, Syria’s ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, on Thursday accused U.S. officials of trying to “capitalize” on Hariri’s assassination and lamented Washington’s tough talk.

“We think the United States is trying to score politically from a catastrophe that has befallen both Lebanon and Syria,” Moustapha said in an appearance on C-SPAN. “We do not fear there is a pending invasion. But we are troubled and worried by this nonstop, continuous campaign against Syria.”

Moustapha also reiterated Syria’s condemnation of Hariri’s assassination, saying it was “a catastrophe on a national scale.”

Testifying at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Thursday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described Syria as “in a sense, a shield for terrorist activities in southern Lebanon” and said Damascus shared “some responsibility” for the overall conditions in Lebanon under which the assassination occurred.

However, Rice, along with Bush, declined to link Syria directly to the killing. She said any blame had to await the outcome of an international investigation. Though she refused to rule out the possibility of military action against Syria, she said the administration expected to accomplish its goals diplomatically.

“We believe that the concerted international pressure of the international community can and should move the Syrians to act,” she said.

The approach to the Syrian matter as expressed by Bush and Rice appears to be in tune with that of the Europeans, with whom Bush hopes to work to broaden diplomatic pressure.

France and the United States have worked closely in an effort to force Syrian troops to leave Lebanon, despite the chill that has characterized Franco-American relations since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq nearly two years ago. The two countries in September co-sponsored U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for the withdrawal of the forces.

U.S. officials quickly backed a call by French President Jacques Chirac for an international investigation into the assassination, and Bush personally endorsed that position Thursday. Precisely how to broaden international pressure on Syria is expected to be a key topic when the two leaders meet in Brussels on Monday.

However, Europeans have so far refused to bow to U.S. pressure to officially designate the Lebanese-based Shiite Muslim fundamentalist group Hezbollah a terrorist organization. While acknowledging its attacks against Israeli and perhaps American targets, Europeans have noted that because the group is also an important player in Lebanese politics and a major supplier of social services to the country’s Shiite population, outlawing it could further strain Lebanon’s fragile stability.

An administration official noted this week that Bush had a variety of political options spelled out in the 2003 Syria Accountability Act, including a formal downgrading of diplomatic relations, imposition of travel restrictions on Syrian diplomats and the halting of U.S. business investments in Syria. The administration could also act under provisions of the 2001 Patriot Act to limit the financing of Syrian exports.

On Iran, Bush said he hoped to join with European allies to use diplomatic means to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, when asked directly if the U.S. would join a European Union negotiating effort, Bush indicated that Washington would act instead within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog that has the power to refer Iran to the Security Council for possible punitive action.

The European initiative, led by France, Britain and Germany, would offer Iran security guarantees and an economic package in return for its halting of efforts to enrich uranium.