Bush says patience gone with Syria's Assad

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush, explaining his patience was gone, said Thursday he has ruled out talks with Syria's President Bashar Assad.

Addressing whether he was willing to talk with Assad about Lebanon, Bush said during a news conference, "My patience ran out on President Assad a long time ago. And the reason why is ... because he houses Hamas, he facilitates Hezbollah, suiciders go from his country into Iraq and he destabilizes Lebanon."

If Assad listened to Bush's remarks, "he doesn't need a phone call. He knows exactly what my position is."

He said Lebanon's move to democracy was crucial, noting the United States worked with the French to get Syria out of Lebanon.

"And Syria needs to stay out of Lebanon," he said. "Syria needs to let the process in Lebanon work."

In a related matter, Bush said he has three objectives when he travels to the Middle East Jan. 8-16.

He said he will work on advancing the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and with Arab nations on reconciliation with Israel. Bush also said he wants to assure people in the Middle East about the U.S commitment to security in the region and "the security of our friends."