Syrian officials said Thursday the country will not be sending any representatives to next week's Annapolis summit. Tuesday, it said it would.
Late Wednesday, a report published in the Arabic-language Al-Hayat newspaper revealed that Syria decided against attending the conference unless there is "a surprising development."
One day earlier, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told reporters at a news conference in Sharm el-Sheikh that he was presuming Syria will go, despite threats by Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem not to go unless the issue of the Golan Heights is on the agenda.
Over the past few weeks, Syrian President Bashar Assad repeatedly called the conference a "waste" if the status of the Golan Heights is not on the agenda.
Syria used the Golan Heights for shelling Israeli towns below until Israel liberated the region in the 1967 Six Day War.
Assad made and unmade his decision to attend twice last week, still insisting that the agenda include a discussion of Syria's demand that Israel hand over the Golan. On November 15, he decided against going, but reversed his decision after the United States assured that he would receive an open, formal invitation to the event, rather than one issued through diplomatic back channels.
This past Sunday, Israel's Channel 2 TV reported that Syria had agreed to attend and would send a state representative, apparently after talks with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Damascus earlier in the day.
On Tuesday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Sharm el-Sheikh that he believed Syria will attend.
However, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) Wednesday that Syria's participation "depends on what kind of invitation we are going to receive." If the Golan Heights is not on the agenda, he said, "There is absolutely nothing to justify our participation."
The Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad telling reporters Tuesday that "Apart from hurting the Palestinians, this conference will accomplish nothing."
Ahmadinejad made the comments while meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, who warned that even if Syria were to receive an official invitation to Annapolis, it may not go if the Golan Heights dispute is not on the agenda.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tried to accommodate the Syrian position by stating that there will be room to speak of "other conflicts" apart from the issue of the Palestinian Authority.
It is believed that Syria is waiting to see the outcome of a vote at the Arab League meeting Friday in Cairo before making a final decision on whether it will attend the U.S.-sponsored summit.