Syrian to attend Mideast summit, a victory for Bush; expectations still low for breakthrough

Arab holdout Syria agreed Sunday to attend a Mideast peace conference called by U.S. President George W. Bush to restart talks to resolve the six-decade conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, yet expectations for the summit remained low. The two sides came to Washington without agreeing on basic terms for their negotiations.

Bush invited the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to separate meetings at the White House on Monday to prepare for the centerpiece of his Mideast gathering _ an all-day session Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland. It is to be the only time that Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meet together, and …