U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Welch is traveling in the Middle East on the peace mission, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Wednesday.

Welch met with Israeli leaders earlier in the day as part of a whirlwind tour that will also take him to Jordan and other unidentified countries, McCormack said, noting that Welch will be working to strengthen the position of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, who is locked in a power struggle with the radical Islamic group Hamas.

Prior to Welch's Middle East tour, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the region in October aiming at reviving peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, McCormack said.

In addition to Welch, John Negroponte, director of U.S. national intelligence, also arrived in Israel on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and intelligence service chiefs, Israeli government sources source said.

Observers said the presence of Welch and Negroponte in Israel indicated that Washington is possibly trying to launch a new Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative.

Source: Xinhua