Friendly with Syria?

Does this set a good example?

Syria left a U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference without a specific promise from Israel to restart stalled talks but with signs the Bush administration is softening its diplomatic hard line against an Arab state that has played a role in past peace efforts.

Syrian delegates received warm handshakes and words of thanks from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whose administration has largely shunned Syria since early 2005.

What happened to Bush? Or what has Syria done that I'm not aware of? Has it stopped harboring terrorists all the sudden? Is it taking a hard line against the Palestinians? Perhaps, so. I certainly miss a lot of news. When push comes to shove, Syria would make a nice crater.