US Talks With Syria; Obama to Visit Turkey

Talks are underway between two US representatives and Syrian officials in Damascus, Hillary Clinton said today. The officials arrived in the capital today and sat down with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem. Jeffrey Feltman, the top State Department envoy on the Mideast, said the conversation was "very constructive," fueling hopes for the Obama administration's effort to ease the rivalry between the two countries.

But the visit, which also includes Daniel Shapiro from the White House, was ignored by the state-run newspaper, and it's unclear if they'll meet with President Bashar Assad. Clinton, meeting with the Turkish foreign minister today,  also said President Obama will visit Turkey in the "next month or so," to discuss the best way to withdraw US troops from Iraq. (More Hillary Clinton stories.)