Syria tells US envoy it wants all of Golan back

DAMASCUS: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told visiting US official Frederic Hof on Thursday that Damascus wants the Golan Heights back as part of any Middle East peace deal. Moallem stressed Syria's wish to "recover the Golan as far as the border of June 4, 1967," before Israel occupied the upland region in that year's Middle East war, Sana official news agency reported.

The Syrian minister reaffirmed "his country's support for achieving a fair and global peace [deal] in the region in line with the principle of exchanging land for peace," the news agency said.

Hof, deputy to US special Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell, reiterated the US desire to work for a peace deal in the region, Sana added.

The United States wants to play an active and balanced role to relaunch peace talks on all Syrian and Palestinian issues with Israel, the report quoted him as saying.

Relations between the United States and Syria have begun to improve since Barack Obama became US president.

Washington announced on June 24 its decision to send an envoy back to Damascus, the latest of a series of cautious signals from the Obama administration.

The United States recalled its ambassador to Syria in 2005 after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which many blamed on Syria though it denies involvement.

The embassy remained open, directed by a charge d'affaires.

Washington has accused Damascus of supporting "terrorist" groups, seeking to destabilize Lebanon and allowing transit through Syria of weapons for fighters in Iraq.