US envoy in Syria for peace talks

Mr Mitchell was appointed as the US Middle East envoy in January US President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, has arrived in Damascus and is due to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Mr Mitchell has said Syria plays a key role in bringing peace to the region. The US State Department says he will be looking at ways to promote peace talks between Syria and Israel. Correspondents say the visit is not expected to bring a breakthrough, but Syrian officials are encouraged by Washington's new willingness to listen. Several other high-ranking US officials will also be in the Middle East in the next few days. Fresh start Last month, Mr Mitchell became the highest-level US official to visit Damascus since 2005. After meeting the Syrian president, he will travel to Israel as part of efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Damascus is a major player in the region, because of its support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, its backing for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and its close links with Iran. In the past, this made Syria a pariah in the eyes of the Bush administration, which cut virtually all ties with Syria, the BBC's Natalia Antelava reports from Beirut. But on the eve of Mr Mitchell's arrival in Damascus, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said he was looking forward to the visit as "the first step of dialogue", in what is rare public praise for Washington from a Syrian official. Washington is a long way away from getting Damascus on its side, but for now at least, the atmosphere of hostility which dominated during the Bush administration seems to be a thing of the past, our correspondent says