President Bill Clinton has opened the highest-ever-level talks between Israel and Syria, saying "we have never had such an extraordinary opportunity to reach a comprehensive settlement".

He was flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa as he spoke at the White House.

Mr Clinton said the three men had met briefly before the speeches. They were due to hold further talks, before Mr Barak and Mr Sharaa met for face-to-face negotiations to try to pave the way for a long-term agreement.

"What we are witnessing today is not yet peace, and getting there will require bold thinking and hard choices. But today is a big step along that path," Mr Clinton said.

Mr Clinton said a comprehensive peace in the Middle East was vital, not just for the region, but for the world and the security of the American people.

He said he and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would do everything they could to help the talks succeed.

Negotiators speak

Mr Barak backed up the optimism, saying: "We came here to put behind us the horrors of war and to step forward towards peace."

He said Israel was fully aware of the effort that would be needed "to make a different Middle East where nations are living side by side in peace".

"We are determined to do whatever we can to bring about the dreams of children and mothers all around the region to see a better future," he said.

Mr Sharaa said the talks promised "for the first time the dawn of a real hope to achieve an honourable and just peace in the Middle East".

He said Syria must have the "return of all its occupied land" - a reference to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

He insisted that the negotiations were reopening "at the point at which they stopped" in 1996 - a contentious issue.

"Everyone realises that a peace agreement between Syria and Israel, and Lebanon and Israel will mean for our region an end of a history of war," he said.

After the speeches Mr Clinton led the two men away saying: "We're going to work."

He said they had decided not to take questions from reporters because they did not want to "cause more problems than we can solve ... with all your helpful questions".

Four year gap

The two days of talks are the first at any level between Israel and Syria since negotiations collapsed in 1996. If the two sides can come to an agreement, it would form one of the key parts of a final peace deal for the Middle East.

Before the talks started, US officials tempered hopes of an immediate breakthrough, saying the meetings would probably deal with matters of procedure rather than substance.

Israelis are divided over the fate of the Golan, which has seen more and more settlers arrive in recent years.

Syria insists not only on the return of land seized during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, but the eviction of the settlers.

However settlers have warned Mr Barak that they will resist any attempt to move them.

Mr Barak, who has promised a referendum on a deal with Syria, requires an absolute majority of the120-seat parliament to ratify any agreement to withdraw from the Golan.