US welcomes Israeli-Syrian peace talks (Roundup)

May 21, 2008, 20:01 GMT

Washington - The United States welcomed the announcement that Israel and Syria would resume peace talks for the first time in eight years despite its concerns about Syrian foreign policy.

'We think the expansion of the circle of peace would be a good thing,' Assistant Secretary of State David Welch said. 'And of course it would be very, very helpful if that included an agreement with Syria.'

Israel and Syria announced Wednesday that they were conducting indirect peace talks under the guidance of Turkey in a renewed effort to move forward on comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace.

The United States has been sceptical about dealing with Syria because of its meddling in Lebanon, failure to halt the flow of militants into Iraq and because it is listed by the US State Department as a state sponsor of terrorism.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the talks would be an opportunity to address concerns about Syria's alleged backing of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

'What we hope is that this is a forum to address various concerns that we all share about Syria,' she said, adding that it could also help isolate Iran.

Welch said the United States would be willing to consider playing a mediating role in the Syrian-Israeli talks, but there has been no request for US assistance. Welch emphasized the United States is focused on brokering an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the end of the year.

President George W Bush relaunched the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in November and has since travelled twice to the region in an effort to keep the negotiations on track.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to set a goal of working toward a deal by the end of 2008 during the Middle East conference hosted by Bush in Annapolis, Maryland last year.