Syria's al-Assad meets senior US official as relations thaw

Feb 17, 2010, 13:20 GMT

Damascus - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with a high- level US diplomat Wednesday, a day after the White House nominated its first ambassador to Damascus for four years.

The visit by William Burns, the US undersecretary of state for political affairs, is part of US President Barack Obama's pledge to repair relations with Arab countries that have been at odds with Washington.

'Syria and the US agreed to discuss the issues of common interest, despite the differences between them,' Burns said after his meeting with al-Assad.

The visit comes a day after Obama nominated Robert Stephen Ford to be the US first ambassador to Damascus since 2005. Ford is currently deputy head of the US embassy in Iraq. He has served in Bahrain and Algeria in the last decade.

'There are clear signs that the US administration wants to reach a just peace in the region ... and a regional stability on all levels, as well as follow up the dialogue it already started,' added Burns.

US-Syrian relations have soured in recent years over Washington's accusations that Damascus was supporting both Iraqi insurgents and militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas, regarded by Washington as terrorist organizations.

The US withdrew its ambassador to Syria in 2005, following the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. Washington blamed Syria for the killing. Damascus denied any role.

Last June, Washington announced it would return a US ambassador to Damascus as part of an effort to re-engage Syria and the broader Arab world.