Washington: The United States welcomed peace talks between Syria and Israel on Wednesday, saying it does not object to any discussions, but voiced concerns of their success.

US officials said they would welcome a peace deal between the two states, but stressed that its main concern would be the Israeli-Palestinian talks.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said they hoped for a more comprehensive peace agreement in the Middle East, and would welcome any effort towards that goal.

"We are going to work very hard on the Palestinian-Israeli front. We hope for the best on the Israeli-Syrian side and we do believe that there is work to be done vis-a-vis the outstanding issues with Lebanon, as well," she added.

The White House is not involved in the peace talks, but has been kept informed about them.


The top US diplomat for the Middle East, David Welch, said Washington would welcome the peace deal but suggested that it would be very hard to achieve.

He added that Washington had concerns about Syrian behaviour, alluding to the US view that Syria supports terrorism.