Syria said on Sunday it would attend a US-led conference aimed at launching talks to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, giving another boost to US efforts to enlist wide Arab support a new peace drive. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Washington two days before the meeting in Annapolis, Maryland. But all sides have played down the prospect of any breakthrough at the conference or afterwards. Ending weeks of uncertainty, the official Syrian news agency said Syria "has accepted the American invitation and will send an official delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Fayssal Mekdad." A spokeswoman for Olmert welcomed the announcement, calling the decision to send a high-ranking member of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's government a positive move. The spokeswoman, Miri Eisin, was quoted as saying by Reuters that the Israeli-Palestinian track would remain the main focus of the conference, although Syria's participation "could open additional avenues to peace in the Mideast."
