The United States has played down suggestions that Syria could be isolated from Iran and persuaded to abandon its support for Hizbullah. US ambassador to the UN John Bolton yesterday dismissed Syria's offer of direct talks on the Middle East conflict, which some US analysts view as an opportunity to divide Damascus and Tehran.
"Whether Syria and Iran can be separated is a good question, but I think in immediate terms, what we want is for them to cut off their supplies of assistance to Hizbullah," Mr Bolton said.
President George Bush and secretary of state Condoleezza Rice yesterday met the Saudi foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal, and the chief of the Saudi national security council, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, in Washington.
The US wants Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which have blamed Hizbullah for the current crisis, to put pressure on Syria to withdraw support from Hizbullah's campaign against Israel and to break with Iran.
In his weekly radio address on Saturday, Mr Bush said Syria and Iran were preventing a resolution to the conflict in Lebanon.
"For many years Syria has been a primary sponsor of Hizbullah and it has helped provide Hizbullah with shipments of Iranian-made weapons. Iran's regime has also repeatedly defied the international community with its ambition for nuclear weapons and aid to terrorist groups.
"Their actions threaten the entire Middle East and stand in the way of resolving the current crisis and bringing lasting peace to this troubled region," he said.
White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten yesterday restated Washington's opposition to an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, a proposal that has the support of most of the international community.
"The purpose is to maintain a sustainable ceasefire. It's sustainable only if we get to the root problem, which is Hizbullah, a terrorist organisation," he said.
Mr Bush has not spoken to Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and the delay in Dr Rice's visit to the region has been seen by US allies as offering a green light to Israel to continue its operation in Lebanon.
Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper said at the weekend: "Senior officials believe Israel has an American nod to continue operations against Hizbullah at least until next Sunday."
Washington's isolation from its allies over the Middle East conflict was underscored at the weekend when British foreign office minister Kim Howells criticised Israel for killing civilians and said he hoped the Bush administration understood the damage being inflicted on Lebanon.
"The destruction of the infrastructure, the death of so many children and so many people - these have not been surgical strikes.
"And it's very difficult, I think, to understand the kind of military tactics that have been used. If they're chasing Hizbullah, then go for Hizbullah. You don't go for the entire Lebanese nation," Mr Howells said.
