That is, if Bush believed in diplomacy…..which he doesn’t.

(CBS) The midnight bus delivers another load of war-weary Iraqis into Damascus. After an 18-hour ride, they’ve just joined one million Iraqis already there, seeking a haven from the violence at home, CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports.

But it’s another group of Iraqis - using Syria as a base - who would prove key in ending the violence. Just days ago, more than 100 senior Iraqi Ba’athists met there just days ago with the backing of Syrian authorities.

They are former members of Saddam’s regime, many involved in organizing and financing the insurgency, whose attacks on both Iraqis and Americans have killed thousands.

But the Ba’athists now claim they are willing to trade this violence for political discussions, after secret meetings in Syria.

In an exclusive interview with CBS News, Syria’s Vice President Farouk al Shara says negotiations are the way forward.

“If they are flexible and if they really believe in the political process, then why not,” he says.

Read more at CBSNews