Syrian delegation in US for Annapolis conference

ANNAPOLIS, Md, Nov 27 (Reuters) A Syrian delegation arrived in the United States to attend the West Asia peace conference and discuss the occupied Golan Heights, a Syrian diplomat said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal al-Mekdad, an influential player in Syrian foreign policy, will lead a three-man Syrian team. Syria's ambassador in Washington Imad Moustapha and an aide will also participate.

The conference, which will focus on Palestinian statehood, opens in Annapolis, Maryland, today. The agenda includes a session about reviving Syrian-Israeli peace talks, which collapsed in 2000 over the Golan Heights, a plateau near Damascus occupied by Israel in 1967.

REUTERS SZ BST0955