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Example No. 2. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, leading a bipartisan delegation through Mideast capitals, paid a call on Syria's dictator, Bashar Assad. President Bush fumed, though three House Republicans had just done the same without criticism. The Syrians were thrilled after getting snubbed by the administration for their support of Iran and Hezbollah, as well as for failing to prevent insurgents from crossing into Iraq. Pelosi said she was carrying a message from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that Israel was ready to resume long-dormant peace talks with Damascus; Olmert's office quickly issued a statement saying there was no policy change. Assad expressed a willingness to have talks, Pelosi reported, although whether his remarks added anything new was unclear.
Some Foreigners Are Not Welcome
In Pakistan's lawless borderlands, pro-government tribesmen are fighting foreign militants, mostly from Uzbekistan, allegedly linked to al Qaeda. Reports vary, but as many as 170 militants and 75 tribesmen have been killed during two weeks of heavy clashes in South Waziristan. Some militants are said to have fled to North Waziristan, others across the border into Afghanistan, where U.S. and Afghan forces are stationed.
Sources say the "tribal uprising" has been reinforced by the Pakistani Army, and officials say the fighting shows that President Pervez Musharraf is living up to his promises to crack down on terrorists' refuges. However, local sources say the fighting has been directed only against Uzbek militants, not Arab extremists and Taliban supporters who also use the region as a staging ground for attacks into Afghanistan.
With Thomas Omestad, Thomas K. Grose in Britain, Aamir Latif in Pakistan and Associated Press
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