JERUSALEM — Two U.S. officials are being dispatched to Syria for exploratory talks, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday, in a new signal of the Obama administration's determination to reach out to longtime adversaries.
Clinton, in Jerusalem for her first talks with Israeli officials, described the upcoming meetings with the Syrian government as "preliminary conversations" intended to examine whether Damascus is serious about a new relationship with the United States.
She told reporters in a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that though the outcome is uncertain, "it is a worthwhile effort to go and begin" the talks.
The U.S. officials are Jeffrey Feltman, acting U.S. secretary of State for the Middle East who previously served as the ambassador to Lebanon; and Daniel Shapiro, ranking official for the Middle East at the National Security Council, who was a Mideast advisor to the Obama presidential campaign.
The two men will leave this weekend for meetings expected to last a few days. They're not expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad, since the talks are preliminary.
President Obama, who campaigned on a promise of outreach to long-standing foes, also plans an overture to Iran, and Clinton has appointed a high-level envoy to advise her on U.S. policy toward Tehran.
Administration officials see the possibility of a new relationship with Damascus as part of a strategic realignment in the region. A shift could dilute Syria's relationship with Iran, weaken the Syrian-supported Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups, and make it easier for Israel to reach a peace settlement with Palestinians, they believe.
Administration officials have sent positive signals to Damascus in their first weeks in office. These include a move to ease export controls and a meeting in Washington between Feltman and Syria's ambassador to the U.S.
At an international conference in Egypt on Monday, Clinton said U.S. officials were interested in "comprehensive" Mideast talks, a signal that the Syrians should be involved.
A thaw between Washington and Damascus would reverse the policy of the Bush administration, which withdrew its ambassador to Syria in 2005 after the assassination in Beirut of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, for which pro-Syrian officials were blamed.
