Look Who’s Talking

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may not have met with her Iranian counterpart at the conference on Iraq security in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, but she did confab with another longtime U.S. nemesis, Syria. To Rice, it was simply a chance to talk with the Syrian Foreign Minister about closing its border to terrorists crossing into Iraq. In the meantime, Syria isn’t inclined to change its ways. Just two weeks ago, a Syrian court sentenced human-rights campaigner Anwar al-Bunni to five years. But Syria has shown some willingness lately to help the U.S. in Iraq and resume peace talks with Israel. Arab diplomats tell TIME that Syria hopes Washington will derail a U.N. tribunal on the assassination in 2005 of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack says that won’t happen, telling TIME, “We’re not asking the Syrians to do us any favors.” But without them, Damascus may see little incentive to help stop terrorism in Iraq.