U.S. may be softening Syria policy

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. political allies agreed to drop challenges against the Lebanese presidential campaign of a Syrian ally, a move some say signals warmer U.S.-Syria ties.

The end of opposition to the campaign of Gen. Michel Suleiman, commander of the Lebanese armed forces, by U.S. allies has been cited by some as evidence of Washington's willingness to compromise with Syria, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Some experts said the decision could be tied to Syria's participation in the Annapolis, Md., Middle East peace summit Tuesday.

A senior U.S. official with ties to Middle East policy told the Journal the Bush administration didn't urge its Lebanese allies "one way or the other" on the compromise but U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice considered a compromise on the Lebanese presidency to be one of her goals during the Annapolis conference.

"It would be going too far to say there's a sea change here," the official said of the relationship between the United States and Syria, "but there's definitely a different dynamic."

The White House is considering whether to back a Russian plan for Syrian-Israeli peace talks in Moscow in early 2008, a U.S. official said Thursday.