Bush urges Iran, Syria aid Iraq, Lebanon

Iranian President Ahmadinejad addressed the United Nations in September, shortly after Bush's address, in which he said "the rulers of the outlaw regimes - will not be allowed to threaten the peace and stability of the world".

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Wednesday urged Iran and Syria to support the governments of neighboring Iraq and Lebanon and warned against creating instability in those democracies.

"Iran and Syria understand full well that the world expects them to help Iraq. And we've made that very clear to them," Bush said at a news conference focused on the Iraq war.

Bush is under pressure to change his Iraq policy ahead of November 7 elections in which his Republican Party could lose control of Congress partly due to the unpopular war.

James Baker, former secretary of state with close ties to the Bush family, is heading an Iraq Study Group that is considering options to give to Bush, including opening a dialogue with Syria and Iran. Bush has rejected that suggestion in the past.

The United States has strained relations with Syria and no diplomatic ties with Iran, and has accused both countries of aiding terrorism and fueling armed groups inside Iraq.

"We've got a lot of issues with Iran. The first is whether or not they will help this young democracy succeed," Bush said referring to Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite like the majority in Iran, visited Tehran and received a pledge from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in September that Iran would give its "full assistance" to the Iraqi government to establish security.

Read the rest at the Washington Post

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