WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama is to return a US ambassador to Syria after a four-year absence, in the latest step in the US administration s efforts to engage Damascus, US media reported Wednesday.

There is a lot of work to do in the region for which Syria can play a role. For that, it helps to have a fully staffed embassy, the New York Times quoted a senior US official, who requested anonymity, as saying.

Since taking office, Obama has moved to ease tensions with Damascus, described by his predecessor George W. Bush as a rogue state.

The Bush administration had put relations with Syria on hold in 2005 following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

A UN investigative commission has found evidence that Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services were linked to the killing, but Damascus has denied any involvement in the assassination.

Earlier this month Obama dispatched US Middle East envoy George Mitchell to Syria to hold landmark talks with President Bashar Al-Assad.

Mitchell noted his host s integral role in Middle East peace.

In response Ath-Thawra, a Syrian government newspaper echoed Washington s overtures, stating: Today, there is real optimism because the two parties realize the importance of improving bilateral relations in order to achieve global peace. -AFP