US says Arab summit failed because it was held in Syria

DOHA - The Arab summit held in Syria over the weekend failed to resolve important issues, possibly because of its venue, a US official said on Tuesday.
"This summit seems to have failed to address some issues that are very important to the Arab world. Perhaps it was because of the absence of certain key leaders" from the summit held on Saturday and Sunday, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch told reporters in Qatar.
"Some of the deepest problems facing the Arab League ... are among the Arabs themselves," he said.
"It doesn't seem that this summit contributed to solutions -- perhaps it has to do with the place in which the summit was held."
The United States had called on Arab states to think twice before attending the summit in Damascus, accusing Syria of blocking the election of a president in Lebanon.
Lebanon boycotted the summit, while key US allies Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, which also blame Damascus for the political crisis in Beirut, sent low-ranking representatives.
The summit ended without a breakthrough on Lebanon, which has been without a president since November amid a long-running deadlock between the Western-backed cabinet and the Hezbollah-led opposition, backed by Syria and Iran.
Welch, who was due to visit Kuwait after Qatar as part of a Gulf tour, said it was "not the intention" of Washington to isolate Syria.
"Syria has isolated itself. Syria has a significant disagreement with many of its Arab brothers about issues such as Lebanon," he said.
Syria, which denies meddling in Lebanon, said that the United States had failed in its efforts to thwart the Arab summit.
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04/01/2008 19:38 GMT