Bush softens line on Syria

Bush softens line on Syria

US congressmen say Assad gave them assurances

President George W Bush has said he sees "positive signs" that Syria is heeding the US call not to shelter fugitive Iraqi officials.

The statement marks a distinct change in tone from President Bush in that it is a move to ease tensions with Syria, the BBC's Washington correspondent Rob Watson says.

"They're getting the message that they should not harbour Baath Party officials, high-ranking Iraqi officials," Mr Bush said after attending an Easter church service at a military base in Texas, where he met former US prisoners of war.

His comments came a week after he accused Syria of harbouring senior Iraqi officials and of developing weapons of mass destruction - allegations denied by Damascus.

I'm confident the Syrian Government has heard us and I believe it when they say they want to co-operate with us

President Bush

Mr Bush's new upbeat tone was echoed by two US congressmen who held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday.

Congressmen Darrell Issa and Nick Rahall - the first US officials to meet Mr Assad since the increased tension between the two countries - said the Syrian leader had gone out of his way to assure them that Damascus wanted a positive dialogue with Washington.

On Thursday, the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, announced that he expected to travel to Damascus soon to meet Mr Assad.

Arab alarm

Correspondents say Washington's threats to Damascus have raised fears in the Arab world that Syria could be the next target of the US-led military forces now occupying Iraq.

But Mr Issa said the Syrian president had given the congressmen a "twofold and absolute" assurance that Syria would not give asylum to any wanted Iraqis and would expel any that entered Syria, the Associated Press reported.

Egypt's Hosni Mubarak (l) discussed Iraq with Assad (r)

Mr Rahall said Mr Assad told them Syria had a list of wanted Iraqi war criminals not allowed into the country - a list longer than the one compiled by Washington.

"So, there's no asylum being granted to any war criminals in Syria," Mr Rahall was quoted as saying.

Mr Assad also held separate talks in Damascus on Sunday with the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak.

They called for an end to the occupation of Iraq by US and British forces, and reiterated their view that the next government in Baghdad must be representative of the Iraqi people.

They also discussed the tensions between Damascus and Washington and called on the US to publish details of the international peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians.