American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told her Russian counterpart in a recent meeting that she would bring up the status of the Golan Heights at the Annapolis, Maryland conference on the Middle East, the Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat reported. However, she has since stated that the issue is not on the table.
Nevertheless, speculation is growing that the Americans will back a conference in Russia early next year at which the Golan Heights will be discussed. Israel has incorporated the strategic area as a part of the country, but Syria has demanded that Israel surrender it.