Shepherdstown, W.Va. -- President Clinton on January 3 opened a new round of peace talks between Israel and Syria.

Israeli and Syrian delegations, led by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara, resumed negotiations, begun at the White House in December, at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center just outside Shepherdstown, West Virginia, a small town on the Potomac River about 70 miles (112 km) from Washington, D.C.

When Barak and al-Shara met in Washington in December, Clinton acknowledged that the negotiations would not be easy but urged both sides to make the hard choices needed to end a half-century of conflict. The President pledged that the United States would work with both countries to achieve peace.

On the eve of resumption of the talks in Shepherdstown, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said there is "no done deal" and that additional rounds of negotiations may be needed before a final settlement is reached between the two countries. "We are at the beginning of a process here, not at the end of it," she said.

The Secretary said she would participate directly in the talks in Shepherdstown, except when Barak and al-Shara choose to meet alone.

Also participating in the talks from the Clinton Administration's Middle East policy team are Dennis Ross, Special Middle East Coordinator, and Martin Indyk, outgoing Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East.

One of the key issues during the talks for the Syrians will be the return of the strategically important Golan Heights region, captured by Israel in the 1967 war. They would also like to see a dismantling of the Israeli electronic surveillance site located on the Golan and come to an agreement on water issues in the area.

The Israelis are expected to discuss security issues, including the fallback of the Syrian military and security guarantees to protect Israeli residents from rocket attacks. Israel wants assurances that terrorist organizations inside Syria will be curtailed and that its rights to water will be included in any final agreement. Both countries will discuss the issue of Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The question of what to do with the estimated 17,000 Israeli settlers living on the Golan will have to be addressed, as well as the return of other refugees from other parts of the region.

Talks between Israel and Syria broke down in 1996 after a series of suicide bombings in Israel.

While the delegations prepare to bargain, residents of Shepherdstown have adjusted their lives to accommodate the influx of an estimated 1,000 journalists and government officials. On New Year's Day, 50 people -- Christians, Muslims and Jews -- gathered for prayers at the local Presbyterian Church. Each day at noon the church will be open to offer special prayers for the negotiations.

In addition to the Israeli and Syrian track, President Clinton has pressed for a resumption of talks between Israelis and Palestinians to implement the Wye River peace accords that were agreed to in October 1998.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)