Jeffrey Feltman, acting US secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, and National Security Council Senior Director Daniel Shapiro are visiting Syria from Wednesday "to discuss issues of mutual and regional concern," the State Department said. According to AFP, the visit is part of President Barack Obama's administration efforts to pursue a policy of dialogue with Middle East states. "This trip will further advance the US commitment to direct diplomacy with Syria and continue discussions from his previous trip," the statement added.
The Arabic al Hayat newspaper reported on Wednesday that one of the hottest topics in Feltman's agenda in Damascus will be the Syrian the in Lebanon, amid the repeated American calls to the Syrian regime to avoid any meddling in the Lebanese domestic issues, especially as the country will be holding crucial general elections next month.
Meanwhile, according to a report in the Wednesday's edition of the UAE-based Alkhaleej newspaper, during the visit, the two US officials will offer the Syrian to launch a Syrian-Israeli peace negotiations track, which will be held along to a Palestinian - Israeli track. European diplomatic sources told the daily that if the Syrian response is positive, the US administration will decide on the next step and may even dispatch its special Mideast envoy George Mitchell to Syria.
