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The US has sent one of its top diplomats to Syria as part of a move to improve ties with Damascus. The visit of Under-Secretary of State William Burns comes after President Barack Obama nominated the first US ambassador to Syria in five years. Mr Burns will meet Syria's President Bashar Assad and his foreign minister as part of a regional tour. Analysts say the visit is aimed at loosening Syria's ties with Iran while pushing for a Middle East peace accord. Syrian-American relations have been troubled during the past five years, but bridges are slowly being built, the BBC's Lina Sinjab reports from Damascus. In 2005, the US withdrew its ambassador following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Damascus was blamed for the killing, an accusation Syria has always denied. Our correspondent says relations were strained even before Mr Hariri's assassination.Syria has been on Washington's list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1979. In 2004, the US Congress passed the Syria Accountability Act which prohibits most American goods from being sold to Syria and imposed financial sanctions. The US remains concerned about Syria's support for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and wants Damascus to help in stabilising Iraq and influence Iran over its nuclear programme, our correspondent says. In return, the US could end its sanctions against Syria and put pressure on Israel to return the Golan Heights seized in the 1967 war. Resolving the Israeli-Syrian standoff could give a major push to a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, analysts say. The appointment of a new American ambassador to Washington has been in the works since the middle of last year, says the BBC's Washington correspondent Steve Kingstone. "His appointment represents President Obama's commitment to use engagement to advance US interests by improving communication with the Syrian government and people," the White House said in a statement. If the appointment is confirmed by the US Senate, Mr Ford would "engage the Syrian government on how we can enhance relations, while addressing areas of ongoing concern", the White House added. But Republicans criticised the nomination as rewarding an enemy. "With this nomination, our foreign policy again risks sending the message that it is better to be an intractable enemy than a co-operative, loyal US ally," said the top Republican in the House of Representatives foreign affairs committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.