U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford said here his task was to help achieve a peace agreement between Syria and Israel, local media reported Wednesday.
"We believe that achieving a peace agreement will help solve some disagreements between Washington and Damascus," Ford said in an interview with the local daily Al-Watan, Xinhua reported.
Indirect talks between Syria and Israel were suspended when the Israeli army waged a month-long war on the Gaza Strip at the end of 2008. Syrians call on Israel to pull out from the occupied Golan Heights before inking a peace agreement.
Ford stressed the keenness of U.S. President Barack Obama's administration on achieving a comprehensive peace in the region, including Syrians, Palestinians, Lebanese and Israelis altogether.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said last August that the peace spectrum in the region was going away and the possibilities of war and confrontation were increasing because of "Israeli stubborn violations of the international laws and charters."
Ford, who arrived in Damascus in January, is the first U.S. ambassador to Syria in five years.
Washington recalled its ambassador to Syria in 2005 following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The killing was widely blamed on Syria, which has roundly denied any involvement.
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