After Kofi Annan praised Syria for agreeing to co-operate with HIS inquiry - Bush has condemned Syria for their failure to co-operate.

In a speech to match Bashar's rhetoric, Bush accused Syria of supporting terrorism. He implied that Syria's bad behaviour was exempliary: "countries like Syria and Iran," he said.

He said Syria's arrest of 'democracy campaigner' Kamal Labwani was a "disturbing step" - although he did struggle with the word Labwani. Labwani had just returned from the US for talks with the US State Department (Foreign Ministry).

He called Bashar's angry and misguided comments on Lebanese PM Fouad Siniora an attempt to "intimidate and destabalise" Lebanon.

It was, for Bush, an uncharacteristically well argued speech - mobilising his opponents' arguments against them. It comes just a day after Bashar's uncharacteristic speech - resembling the words of Hafez more than Bashar the reformer.

"The government of Syria must stop exporting violence and start importing democracy," he said to applause.