West Asia peace not possible without Syria-Merkel

BERLIN, Dec 12 (Reuters) Forging peace in West Asia will not be possible without involving Syria, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today.

She was speaking a week after her Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier travelled to Syria for talks despite objections from allies such as Israel, the United States and France, who accuse Damascus of destabilising the region.

''Syria is simply there as a partner in the region. It is a country in the region and it is important that we tell Syria what expectations we have of it,'' Merkel told the foreign press association in Berlin.

''I don't believe that one can arrive at a comprehensive peace solution in West Asia without bringing in Syria in some way.'' On his visit, the first to Syria by a senior German government official in more than two years, Steinmeier urged President Bashar al-Assad to use his influence with Hamas and Hezbollah to facilitate peace and stabilise Lebanon.

But he came away with little in the way of promises from the Syrian government, which denies allegations from the West that it has stirred unrest in Lebanon.

Later at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Merkel was asked if she agreed with the Israeli leader, who has said Steinmeier's trip to Syria was a failure.

Merkel said she stood behind Steinmeier's decision to take the trip but ''no positive signals have come out of it''.

Leading Western powers have sought to isolate Damascus since last year's assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut. Syria's critics accuse it of playing a role in the killing, while Syria denies involvement.

Still, Syria is increasingly seen as a key to solving the myriad interwoven conflicts in the region.

A report released last week in Washington by the Iraq Study Group recommended that the United States engage Syria and Iran to bring about stability in Iraq.

Merkel said the US report contained realistic assessments of the situation in Iraq and what could be done to solve problems there. However, she said that Iran, like Syria, was sending no positive signals to the international community.

REUTERS SHB RN2016