Syrian President Bashar Assad had planned to attend the 2005 World Summit at the U.N. last week as part of a novel policy, in the words of a Syrian diplomat, of "dealing with international affairs and contacting world leaders." But without a word of explanation, Assad nixed his New York City trip. Diplomatic sources tell TIME that he failed in his attempts to arrange tête-à-têtes with the Presidents of Russia and Turkey. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also pointedly left Assad out of a meeting with European and other Middle Eastern leaders. (The only one willing to meet with him, the...
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