WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President George W. Bush left the door open for Hezbollah to play a central political role in Lebanon, urging the Shiite movement to “prove” it does not deserve to be branded a terrorist group.  “We view Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, and I would hope that Hezbollah would prove that they’re not, by laying down arms and not threatening peace” between Israel and the Palestinians, said Bush. The White House last week denied a media report that the United States was grudgingly moving into line with efforts by France and the United Nations  to get the group into the Lebanese political mainstream. But aides said privately that Washington faces a quandary how to deal with the group, noting that it wields considerable political clout in Lebanon ahead of May parliamentary elections there.

Bush’s comments came as he met in his Oval Office with Jordan’s King Abdullah II to discuss Iraq (news – web sites), democratic reforms in the Middle East, efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the situation in Lebanon.

“One of our concerns, which his majesty and I discussed, is that Hezbollah may try to derail the peace process between Israelis and the Palestinians,” said the US president.

“And it’s very important that this peace process go forward, for the sake of the Palestinians, for the sake if the Israelis, and for the sake of all the people in the region,” said Bush.

Later, White House spokesman Scott McClellan declared: “Organizations like Hezbollah have to choose: Either you’re a terrorist organization or you’re a political organization.”

In a cagey response to a reporter’s question, McClellan denied a shift in US policy but added: “You, yourself, pointed out if they renounce terrorism — in your question — and if they disarm, well then, that does change the dynamic.”

Throughout the political crisis sparked by the February 14 slaying of Lebanese former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, Washington has kept pressure on Hezbollah and demanded Syria pull out all of its military and intelligence assets from Lebanon.

But Hezbollah flexed its political muscle last week by drawing about half a million people to the streets of Beirut for a demonstration backing Damascus, hoping to show that it would be a powerful force even without Syria.

The Lebanese opposition, which opposes Syria’s presence, has been trying to persuade Hezbollah to remain neutral in the country’s political crisis.

Earlier, McClellan noted “some positive steps” toward a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, but kept the pressure on Damascus for a total pullout before the elections there.

The US president was to meet Wednesday with the patriarch of the Maronite church, Nasrallah Sfeir, a vocal opponent of Syria’s dominant role in Lebanon and a leading figure in the Lebanese Christian opposition.

“One of the messages I want to say is that my meeting with the patriarch is in no way embracing any religion for Lebanon. It is a way for me to speak to people that believe that Lebanese society ought to be free,” said Bush.

The 85-year-old patriarch has recently stepped up encounters with Lebanese and European political leaders, notably with French President Jacques Chirac.

The United States has long designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The group had been linked to various attacks on Americans and US installations, including a truck bombing that killed more than 200 US Marines in Beirut in 1983.