US making efforts to re-establish relations with Syria

A top US official has met with Syrian President as US President Barack Obama is trying to reach out to the Middle Eastern country after several years of strained relations between Washington and Damascus.

William Burns, the US undersecretary of state for political affairs, met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues.

The visit came on the heels of the appointment of Robert Ford as the next American ambassador to Syria by Obama.

Burns characterized Ford’s appointment as a positive step by the Obama administration.

“This is a clear sign after five years without an ambassador in Damascus of America’s readiness to improve relations and to cooperate to pursue a just and comprehensive peace between Arabs and Israelis,” Burns was quoted by AFP as saying.

The White House is eager to “make progress on all tracks in the peace process and to pursue regional peace and stability,” the US diplomat told journalists after meeting with Assad.

“There are challenges on the road but my meeting with President Assad leaves me hopeful that we can make progress together in the interest of both our countries,” he said.

Washington recalled its envoy to Damascus in 2005, after former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri was assassinated in a bombing blamed on Syria, which denied any involvement in the incident.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says Ford has many years of experience in the Middle East.

He says Ford, now the US embassy chief in Baghdad, may be called on to mediate enhancing Syria-US relations.