Allies split: Syria's in, Iran's not

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syria's ally Iran said Monday that the U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference has already failed. But Syria itself has much to gain from its participation in the Annapolis meeting — a long-sought opening with the U.S., an end to its isolation among Arabs, and perhaps even movement on the Golan Heights.

U.S. officials are hoping the meeting could mark a start to moving Syria out of its alliance with Iran and the Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups. But Syria is being cautious, probing how much it can get before it goes too far and strains its close ties with Iran, observers said Monday.

Syria is sending its deputy foreign minister, Faysal Mikdad, rather than the full minister as other Arab nations are doing. This is perhaps a show of dissatisfaction that the issue of the Golan Heights is not more firmly on the agenda or an attempt to play down expectations — while stopping short of a boycott that would make Damascus look like a spoiler.

It also signals to Damascus' allies that it is not throwing itself wholeheartedly into a U.S. plan. On Sunday, Syrian President Bashar Assad spoke by telephone with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the two agreed that the conference "was destined in advance to failure," the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.

Any resentment from Iran or Hamas — whose top leadership is based in Damascus — will likely be kept quiet.

Iran did not react to Syria's announcement. On Monday, its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a speech that the conference "has already failed" and that the U.S. was only trying to preserve its reputation.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, meanwhile, criticized the collective Arab decision to attend but said Syria had to act "the way it sees fit."

The Syrian participation is already seen as a success for the Bush administration.

Edward Djerejian, founding director of Rice University's Baker Institute and former U.S. ambassador to Syria and Israel, said engaging the Syrians "will make them have to think twice about playing a spoiler role, if indeed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations move forward."