Syria to be invited to Mideast peace conference: US

There's really not much to add except its about time.

The United States plans to invite Syria to an international peace conference between the Israelis and Palestinians later this year, a senior State Department official said Sunday.

The United States would also invite neighboring states, major powers and the members of the Arab league follow-up committee and other key international players, said the senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"I think you will find it newsworthy that the members ... of the Arab League follow-up committee would be invited to such a meeting," the official said.

The committee includes Jordan, Egypt -- the only two Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel -- as well as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

The committee is charged with convincing Israel to accept a Saudi peace initiative relaunched in March by the Arab League during a summit in Riyadh.

Via AFP.