The United States on Tuesday accused Syria of trying to undermine peace process both in Iraq and in "the progress the Palestinian people are trying to make."

"There is a lot of areas where Syria's out of step with the region; where Syria is trying to undermine the progress the Iraqi people are trying to make, they're trying to undermine the progress the Palestinian people are trying to make," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a news briefing.

Speaking of US-Syria relations, Boucher said that the United States has diplomatic relations with Syria, but "our ambassador, as you know, has not been in Syria for many months now because of our concerns about Syrian behavior."

US ambassador Margaret Scobey has not been at her post in Damascus since she was recalled for consultations after the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in Beirut in mid-February.

Washington has long accused Syria of harboring and aiding former members of Saddam's toppled Baathist regime suspected of involvement in the deadly insurgency against US-led forces in Iraq.Damascus has denied such claims.

Source: Xinhua