‘Obama determined to see Mideast peace’

The U.S. administration is determined to achieve a "truly comprehensive" Arab-Israeli peace settlement that includes normal relations between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors, President Barack Obama's special Mideast envoy said in Damascus today. George Mitchell was speaking to reporters in Damascus after talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

It is Mitchell's second visit to Syria since he took up his post in the latest U.S. diplomatic outreach to a country listed by Washington as a state sponsor of terrorism and snubbed by Obama's predecessor.Last month, Mitchell became the highest-level U.S. administration official to visit Damascus since 2005. He acknowledged Syria's clout, declaring Damascus has a key role to play in promoting Mideast peace.

Mitchell was expected later in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he hoped to work out disagreements with Washington during meetings this week with high-profile American envoys. .Netanyahu is under U.S. pressure to freeze construction in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — a demand he has so far resisted. Washington also is concerned that Israel may be planning an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. It wants time for Obama's offer of engagement to Iran to bear fruit.