Albright has new round of Mideast diplomacy

WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) -- U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has spoken in recent days to the foreign ministers of several countries in the Middle East, including Syria, about reviving the peace process, the State Department said on Tuesday.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a news briefing Albright spoke to Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara as well as her Egyptian counterpart Amr Moussa on Monday and had also spoken to French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine several times this week.

"Ever since Camp David ... she's had sort of a continuing process, continuing pattern of discussions with her counterpart foreign ministers," Boucher said.

Boucher said Albright's discussions examined ways of moving the peace process forward following Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that ended at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David last month without agreement.

He said on the Syrian front, both the Syrian and Israeli leaders wanted to reach an agreement that could lead to a just and lasting peace. President Bill Clinton came close to brokering a deal between the two sides earlier this year but talks broke down.

U.S. Middle East envoy Dennis Ross, who played an active role in the Camp David talks, is currently in the Middle East for discussions with regional leaders.

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