______ is committed to mediating the dispute between Israel and Syria.

The United States has given a cautious welcome to the announcement by Israel and Syria that they have been holding indirect peace talks for the last year. A senior State Department official said an agreement would be helpful but reserved the most praise for Turkey for its role as mediator. The Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the talks as exciting. From Jerusalem, here’s our Middle East correspondent Tim Franks. The momentum has stepped up since Monday with both Syria and Israeli envoys in Turkey. The two countries have tried and failed before to reach agreement most recently eight years ago. There is, however, profound skepticism as to why the existence of these talks should be confirmed now. Many in Israel believe it reflects a lack of progress in negotiations with the Palestinians and the Prime Minister’s own domestic political difficulties.