US official: Peace talks to be held in Shepherdstown, West Virginia

A high-ranking US official announced on Tuesday that the second round of the Syrian-Israeli peace talks will be held in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, 70 KM from Washington DC.

US White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said that he expected US President Bill Clinton to attend at least the first day of talks on January 3. He added, "We expect it to go some time, but I don't have a precise time line for it. But I mean, I'll stress on this that this is the second round of the talks. I don't foresee at this point a resolution" during the round.

AP said the site was chosen for the negotiations because it is isolated and at the same time close to the capital, which ensures the two factors of secrecy and easy moves for Clinton.

AP added that the talks will be held in the US governmental establishments in the city.

In Washington, the US State Department announced on Tuesday that peace negotiations between Syria and Israel will be resumed by the beginning of January, 2000 in a resort in West Virginia, to the west of Washington

The US State Department said the negotiations will be held at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in the city of Shepherdstown.

The statement by the US State Department said that the negotiating committees from the two delegations as well as the US mediators will stay at the conference center during the whole period of the negotiations.

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will take part in the negotiations.

On December 15 and 16 the Middle East peace negotiations were resumed in Washington from the point at which they left off, four years ago.