ANALYSIS: U.S. not talking to its enemies

Sat Jul 29, 4:19 AM ET

WASHINGTON - There is an old saying in diplomatic circles: You don't make peace with your friends, you make peace with your enemies.

The United States, which doesn't lack for enemies, is not talking to North Korea, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas - all of which are contributing to the Bush administration's chief overseas problems these days.

While each situation is different, the administration's underlying position is that Iran, North Korea and Syria must change their policies and that Hezbollah and Hamas are terrorist groups, legally off-limits to diplomatic discourse.

Critics say this absence of communication restricts U.S. diplomacy and makes U.S. allies anxious because they believe there is no way of resolving crises without American participation.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, who helped shape a far different U.S. foreign policy as national security assistant for President Carter, responded tartly when asked to appraise the Bush administration stance.

"(President) Bush and (Secretary of State Condoleezza) Rice are pursuing a remarkably successful policy of self-ostracism," he said. "Unfortunately it is a disaster for the United States."

Madeleine Albright, who was secretary of state for President Clinton in his second term, said "the stakes are too high" to avoid contact with Iran and Syria, whom the State Department for years has designated as sponsors of terrorism.

"Engagement is not appeasement," Albright said. "Diplomacy is a mechanism for the U.S. to send a tough message."

A former career U.S. diplomat in the Middle East, Edward S. Walker, said, "Neither side wants to have a conversation" over the current fighting.

Yet, Walker said in an interview: "The tragedy of this administration is it doesn't know how to use diplomacy. It seems to be actually clueless."

The Bush administration's policies have been criticized by some Republicans, too. In a speech Friday at the Brookings Institution in Washington, Sen. Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record), R-Neb., suggested U.S. support for Israel was coming at the expense of U.S. relations with Muslims and Arabs.

Whether or not Syria and Iran were directly involved in Hezbollah and Hamas aggression in Israel, Hagel said, "both countries exert influence in the region."

"As we work with our friends and allies to deny Syria and Iran any opportunity to further corrode the situation in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, both Damascus and Tehran must hear from America directly," he said.

Bush administration officials say direct negotiations with regimes such as Iran, North Korea and Syria would be fruitless. White House spokesman Tony Snow has specifically ruled out talking to Iran and Syria because they support Hezbollah.

The administration has made its views clear to both governments and "frankly, there is nothing to negotiate," Snow said.

Syria, which with Iran is a pivotal supporter of the Hezbollah guerrillas, has been pursued by successive administrations for more than three decades for Mideast peacemaking. But it has been completely sidelined by the U.S. as the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah rages into its third week.

"The track record stinks," Snow said of past U.S. efforts to negotiate with Syria.

Syria is also close to Hamas, the radical group that controls the Palestinian government and whose fighters kidnapped an Israeli soldier last month, helping prompt Israeli incursions into Gaza.

The Syrian ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, told The Associated Press last week his country had not heard from the U.S. He said Syria would like to get started on a comprehensive Mideast peace effort that extends beyond the current fighting in Lebanon.

"Syria does not consider itself an enemy of the United States," Moustapha said.

Iran's nuclear ambitions have been a subject of international concern, but Rice has told Iran there will be no talks on its nuclear program unless it suspends enrichment of uranium.

The United States has not had relations with Iran since the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was overrun by Muslim fundamentalists in 1979. American and Iranian diplomats have participated occasionally in meetings, such as on Afghanistan.

In the case of North Korea, the Bush administration has offered one-on-one talks about Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and missiles program - provided they are held against the backdrop of a six-nation format. North Korea seeks the kind of unqualified direct talks it had with the Clinton administration and has not responded. Nor has it resumed six-nation negotiations.

The classic example of breaking the ice to talk to a longtime foe was President Richard Nixon's opening to China. It led to normal diplomatic relations and an up-and-down relationship through the years.

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Barry Schweid has covered diplomacy for The Associated Press since 1973.

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