US envoys set for Syria meeting

US envoy Jeffrey Feltman said the list of concerns was long

Two senior US envoys are heading to Damascus for the first high-level contact with Syria since 2005.

Jeffrey Feltman and Dan Shapiro are due to meet Foreign Minister Walid Muallem as the Obama administration seeks to evaluate Syria's openness for dialogue.

Mr Feltman said the pair had a long list of concerns that they planned to discuss with Syrian officials.

US-Syria relations soured after Syria was widely accused of involvement in the killing of a former Lebanese PM.

Rafik Hariri was killed by a devastating car bomb in Beirut in February 2005.

Shortly afterwards Syria pulled out its troops from Lebanon, ending a 29-year presence in the country.

Diplomatic problems

Mr Feltman served as US ambassador in Beirut until 2008, and is currently an acting assistant secretary of state.

Our trip... is an opportunity for us to start addressing these concerns and using engagement as a tool to promote our objectives in the region Jeffrey Feltman US Department of State Syria inches in from the cold

As a congressional aide, Mr Shapiro was instrumental in drafting the Syria Accountability Act, which placed sanctions on Damascus in 2003.

During his time in Lebanon, Damascus accused Mr Feltman of orchestrating an anti-Syrian movement in Lebanon.

The last senior US official to visit Damascus was Richard Armitage, then a deputy assistant secretary of state, in January 2005.

Washington withdrew its ambassador from Syria shortly afterwards, following Mr Hariri's assassination.

That bombing was widely blamed on Damascus, athough Syria denied any involvement.

Addressing concerns

Washington's list of complaints is long when it comes to Syria's behaviour and that policy has not changed with the change of US administration, says the BBC's state department correspondent, Kim Ghattas.

The killing of Rafik Hariri sparked outrage in Lebanon

There is still concern about support for militant groups, like Hamas and Hezbollah, about covert nuclear activities and about meddling in Lebanon's affairs, our correspondent adds.

Ahead of their visit, the US envoys said their trip to Syria was an opportunity to start addressing those concerns with the Syrians.

And they stressed that engagement was a way to promote US objectives in the region.

Damascus has tried to paint the visit as something of a victory, proof that standing fast in the face of US pressure over the last few years has paid off, our correspondent says.

However, the choice of envoys seems to signal that Washington is taking a tough but serious approach to its engagement, she adds.

Speaking a day before the pair arrived in Syria, Mr Feltman said: "Our trip to Syria... is an opportunity for us to start addressing these concerns and using engagement as a tool to promote our objectives in the region."

They were also keen to reassure the Lebanese that the US stood solidly behind Beirut, despite the new overtures towards Damascus.

"The United States' support for a sovereign and independent Lebanon remains unwavering," Mr Feltman said.

"The president [Barack Obama] has said he wants to sustain in principle engagement with all states in the region and that includes Syria," he added.