Meanwhile, the US civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson is in the Middle East as part of ongoing talks for a hostage exchange. In Damascus Sunday, Reverend Jackson said Syria was prepared take part in a negotiated solution.

• Rev. Jesse Jackson: “(Syrian President Bashar Assad) supports the finding of their status and their release — the Israelis, Lebanese, and Syrians — but they are not in his direct control. He uses influence and appeal. At the end we find out what their status is and ultimately their release. And his influence, we think, is positive and substantial.”