DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 03, SPA -- Syrian President Bashar Assad says peace talks with Israel need U.S. sponsorship. In an interview with several Emirati newspapers thatappeared Tuesday, Assad said the talks are still in apreliminary stage and U.S. involvement is needed at a laterstage. Assad, who also said Israel, must return all Syrian land aspart of the peace deal, is currently touring the Gulfregion. Israel and Syria have announced that they had resumedpeace talks after more than a year of indirect contactsthrough Turkish mediators. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Monday thatWashington has yet to be approached for a role in theSyrian-Israeli talks and indicated that it wants for now tofocus on the Palestinian-Israeli track, the Associated Press reported.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/561825