Mitchell to Visit Lebanon and Syria
U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, is expected to visit Lebanon and Syria as part of his upcoming regional tour, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale said in comments published Sunday.
Hale, who was in Beirut on Friday, informed Lebanese officials of the hurdles the U.S. administration is facing as it focuses its efforts on reviving the peace process, sources told the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat.
One of the obstacles, he said, was that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been sending "the conflicting signals" on the issue, they added.
He said U.S.-Syrian relations that Jeffrey Feltman — the acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs — held "a constructive" dialogue with Syria "but with Syrian officials with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and vowed to pursue dialogue with Damascus.