Hillary Clinton sends US envoys to Syria

Source: Telegraph (UK)

Hillary Clinton is sending two senior US officials for talks in Syria, in a sign of thawing relations between the countries.

By Alex Spillius in Washington and Dina Kraft in Tel Aviv

After years of tension and George W Bush's portrayal of Syria as a rogue state and sponsor of terrorism, the new US secretary of state said that Jeffrey Feltman, acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, and Dan Shapiro of the White House's National Security Council, would visit the Syrian capital.

Both officials are accompanying Mrs Clinton on a visit to the region and were due to fly on to Damascus.
Speaking on her maiden visit to Israel as America's top diplomat, Mrs Clinton said: "We have no way to predict what the future with our relations concerning Syria might be. We don't engage in discussions for the sake of having a conversation. There has to be a purpose to them, there has to be some perceived benefit accruing to the United States and our allies."

A US-Syrian rapprochement could help clear the way for Israel and Syria to restart the indirect peace talks they held under Turkish mediation last year but which were halted after Israel's military offensive in Gaza. Among other issues, the two countries dispute ownership of the Golan Heights.

Though hopes of instant progress are not high, Mrs Clinton's announcement reflected an emerging consensus in Washington that a peace deal between Israel and Syria remains a stronger prospect than a permanent agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/4933440/Hillary-Clinton-sends-US-envoys-to-Syria.html