Damascus /Tel Aviv, July 26 (DPA) US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell pushed a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal Sunday, as he met separately with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus and then with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in Tel Aviv.

After his hour-long meeting with al-Assad, his second since June, Mitchell told reporters that he had discussed the prospects for a comprehensive peace in the region and improved relations between Syria and the US.

Mitchell said he had told al-Assad that Obama is determined to facilitate a truly comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, adding that this would mean full normalisation of relations between Israel and all of countries in the region.

This is what the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative calls for, and it is the ultimate aim of US policy, Mitchell told reporters.

In 2002, members of the Arab League offered to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from the territories it occupied in the 1967 war and 'a just' solution to the question of Palestinian refugees. Syria supports the initiative.

A comprehensive peace is the only way to guarantee stability, security, and prosperity for all of the states in the region, Mitchell told reporters in Damascus.

Mitchell said the US remained committed to the idea that a dialogue with Syria based on mutual interests and mutual respect was the most solid foundation for a discussion of the two countries' shared goals and any real differences in their positions.