US sees slowed Syrian- Israeli peace work during Davos summit, Moscow talks

US work on the Syrian-Israel tracks is expected to slow during the Davos economic meetings and Moscow meetings, US State Department Spokesman James Rubin said yesterday.

The schedule "slows down the process a little bit," Rubin said.

"We recognize that the parties have differing views on the negotiation and we continue to work intensely with them through diplomatic channels. But this scheduling issue makes it unlikely they will be meeting in the next several days," Rubin stated.

Commenting on chances for a regional visit by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the Middle East after multilateral peace meetings in Moscow, Rubin said, "I wouldn't rule anything out in this business, but I would say whatever possibility there was has reduced significantly."