DAMASCUS, Syria - There is ''a real opportunity'' for Syria and Israel to resume peace talks with help from the United States, Sen. Arlen Specter said Saturday after arriving for a two-day visit.

Specter said he hoped Syria's participation in last month's Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Md., was a step toward ''a new beginning for real efforts'' to reach a Mideast peace, including between Syria and Israel.

''I think there is a very important moment in the Middle East and there is a real opportunity if the parties are ready to move,'' Specter, R-Pa., told The Associated Press. ''It's up to the parties. It's up to Syria and Israel, but the United States, I think, is in the position to be helpful.''

Specter, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke in Damascus shortly after arriving with Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

The U.S. senator was scheduled to meet Syrian President Bashar Assad but declined to confirm reports that he would convey a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on resuming peace talks between the two countries.

Specter, who met Olmert Wednesday, told reporters in Jerusalem that he would encourage Assad to launch peace talks with Israel.

''Prime Minister Olmert told us that he's interested, that he's looking for a signal from Syria,'' he said.

In 2000, formal U.S.-sponsored Israel-Syria talks neared agreement but broke down over final border and peace arrangements.

Specter said Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad had told him on the sidelines of last month's Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Md., that Syria ''is interested in the negotiations.''

Syria attended the U.S.-brokered Mideast conference after receiving assurances that the issue of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights would be on the agenda.

Relations between Syria and the U.S. appeared to warm briefly following Syria's attendance at the Annapolis conference, which was widely seen as an attempt to gain favor with Washington.

But both sides have since lashed out at one another, each accusing the other of meddling in Lebanon, where the Western-backed government is locked in a political standoff with the pro-Syrian opposition.

The U.S. disapproves of Syrian meddling in Lebanon, Damascus' support for anti-Israel militant groups and its alliance with Iran.

Last week, President Bush rejected dialogue with the Syrian leader, saying his ''patience ran out on President Assad a long time ago.''

Kennedy said he looked forward to speaking with Assad about promoting peace and stability in Syria's neighbor, saying he wants to see ''free and fair elections in Lebanon ... full sovereignty for Lebanon.''

The election of a new Lebanese president has been held up by continued political wrangling between the Syrian-backed opposition and the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority bloc. The presidency was left vacant after pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud's term ended on Nov. 23, with no successor being elected. -AP