U.S. diplomats travel to Syria, Israel

DAMASCUS, Syria, July 27 (UPI) -- U.S. special envoy George Mitchell met Sunday with Syrian President Bashar Assad, beginning a weeklong series of diplomatic visits to the Middle East.

CNN reported Mitchell and other U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, will travel to Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said during his weekly Cabinet meeting the visits "are part of a thick and strong network of ties between Israel and the United States."

"Naturally, even within the fabric of friendly relations between allies, there isn't full agreement on all points, and on different issues we are trying to reach that understanding so that we can together advance our common goals: peace, security and prosperity for the whole of the Middle East," he said.

The United States indicated in June it intends to improve diplomatic relations with Syria by sending a U.S. ambassador to Damascus for the first time since Washington withdrew its ambassador in 2005 to protest the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Although Syria denies Washington's accusation it was involved in the assassination in a bombing that killed 22 others, a U.N. investigation has found evidence Syria had a hand in the matter, CNN said.