Damascus/TelAviv - US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell pushed a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal Sunday, as he met separately with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus and then with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in Tel Aviv. After his hour-long meeting with al-Assad, his second since June, Mitchell told reporters that he had discussed the prospects for a comprehensive peace in the region and improved relations between Syria and the United States.
Mitchell said he had told al-Assad that US President Barack Obama "is determined to facilitate a truly comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace."
"That peace means between Palestinians and Israelis, between Syria and Israel, and between Lebanon and Israel. And of course, ultimately, the full normalization of relations between Israel and all of the countries in the region," Mitchell said.
"This is what the Arab Peace Initiative calls for, and it is the ultimate aim of the effort we are undertaking," he added.
In 2002, members of the Arab League offered to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from the territories it occupied in the 1967 war and "a just" solution to the question of Palestinian refugees. Syria supports the initiative.
"Comprehensive peace is the only way to guarantee stability, security, and prosperity for all of the states in the region," Mitchell told reporters in Damascus.
Mitchell said "the United States is committed to a dialogue based on mutual interest and mutual respect and a solid foundation for discussion of our shared goals and of real differences, where they occur."
Mitchell reiterated the sentiments in his later meeting with Barak, saying normalized relations across the region are part of Obama's personal vision and goal. But achieving that vision requires all parties to take the necessary steps, he added.
The visit comes amid sharp differences between Israel and the Obama administration over the question of Israeli settlement construction in the occupied territories, with Washington demanding a total halt to Israeli building.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to minimize the rift, telling his ministers before the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting in Jerusalem that it was only "natural" that Israel and the US would not be in full agreement on all points.
Mitchell also stressed that there is no dispute, only differences of opinion, between the United States and Israel on the issue of regional peace.
The US envoy thanked Barak for approving new policies making movement easier in the West Bank, a step he said should ease tensions.
Barak said his country is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve peace, so long as basic Israeli interests are protected.
Marwan Qabalan, a professor at the University of Damascus, praised the Obama administration for "recognizing early the importance of dialogue with Syria based on the principles of mutual respect and mutual interests."
"But it is perhaps too early to talk about a return to direct Syrian-Israeli negotiations ... It is clear the United States gave a kind of power of attorney to the Turks," he told the German Press Agency dpa,
"The Syrians know it, and trust the Turks because of their past experiences in this regard," Qabalan said.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Aleppo last week for private talks with al-Assad. Before his arrival in Syria, Erdogan restated Turkey's willingness to act as an intermediary in Syrian-Israeli peace talks.
"New requests regarding this process may come up," Erdogan told reporters. "In fact, they have already started to come."
Mitchell is only one of several top US officials visiting the region this week.
Defence Secretary Robert Gates was expected in Israel and Jordan later on Sunday. National Security Advisor James Jones and administration official Dennis Ross are also expected in the coming days.
