WASHINGTON - The White House shrugged off President Hafez al Assad's unavailability to meet the US Secretary of State, Mr Warren Christopher, on Tuesday, saying it was just another development in the peace process.
But the White House spokesman, Mr Mike McCurry, acknowledged that it was difficult to imagine ending the fighting in Lebanon - a precondition for getting the Mideast peace process back on track - without Mr Assads participation.
Mr Christopher, who has, been shuttling between Israel and Syria in an effort to end the nearly two week old conflict between Israel and Hizbullah guerrillas, was informed upon arriving in Damascus on Tuesday that Mr Assad was too busy to see him.
Asked if the US regarded the Syrian leader's unavailability as a snub, Mr McCurry replied: "No, we don't. We regard it as one other development to contend with in the process of bringing peace and reconciliation to the people of the Middle East."
The White House spokesman said the US accepted at face value Mr Assad's excuse that other pressing duties kept him from seeing Mr Christopher.