The United States urged Syria and Lebanon to take part in the resumption of the multilateral talks on Middle East issues that are slated to begin Feb. 1 in Moscow. State Department spokesman James Rubin said the United States believes it is important for the two countries to participate. Syria and Lebanon have balked at joining the talks until more progress is made in the Israeli-Syrian negotiations.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
