- Title: SYRIA: U.S. aiming for Syria-Israel peace deal
- Date: 17th September 2010
- Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (SEPTEMBER 16, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THE MEETING BETWEEN SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD AND U.S. ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST GEORGE MITCHELL ASSAD AND MITCHELL SHAKING HANDS AFTER THE MEETING MITCHELL HEADING TO DELIVER HIS STATEMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. MIDDLE EAST ENVOY GEORGE MITCHELL, SAYING: "Our effort to resolve the Palestinian-Israel
- Embargoed: 2nd October 2010 13:00
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- Reuters ID: LVA9YGAK805KIZ81A3EB5NLCG7WL
- Story Text: The United States assured Syria on Thursday (September 16) that its focus on securing a peace deal between the Palestinians and Israel would not deflect Washington from pushing for an Israeli-Syrian agreement.
"Our effort to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in no way contradicts or conflicts with our goal of comprehensive peace including peace between Israel and Syria. We believe strongly that a foundation of good faith negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis can and should support the entire structure of comprehensive peace," U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell told reporters after meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Mitchell accompanied Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who held three days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders that ended on Thursday with no signs of progress on breaking a deadlock over West Bank settlements.
His brief trip to Syria as Clinton was leaving the Middle East shows the increasing consideration the United States is giving to Syria, which hosts exiled leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas and backs Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah movement.
Hamas is opposed to the talks between Israel and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"There are some who are determined to disrupt the process. We are determined to see it through", Mitchell said.
Assad has made it clear that only the United States can deliver peace between Syria and Israel.
But he has stuck to a long standing demand that any talks must result in a full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
Four rounds of indirect talks that were being mediated by Turkey broke down in 2008.
Almost 10 years of U.S.-supervised negotiations collapsed in 2000, several months before the death of Assad's father, President Hafez al-Assad. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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