Beirut - US Middle East envoy George Mitchell arrived Friday in Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials aimed at promoting peace in the Middle East, a Lebanese government official said.

Mitchell, who arrived from Jordan, held immediate talks with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, the official said.

The US envoy will then head to the Syrian capital after his brief visit to Beirut.

According to the official, Mitchell's talks in Beirut will focus on last Sunday's parliamentary elections in which the Western-backed majority defeated the Hezbollah-led opposition.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters in Washington that Mitchell's trip to Syria and Lebanon is partly a "follow-up" to President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo last week.

The Obama administration has been holding talks with Syria. Relations between the two countries have been strained since 2005, following the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri, which Damascus was accused of masterminding. Syria has strongly denied the charges.

The US administration has also accused Syria of harbouring followers from the Palestinian Hamas movement and backing the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which the US regards as terrorist organizations.

The US official's Middle East tour which took him to Jordan on Thursday is also aimed at promoting peace in the Middle East region.

Local Lebanese newspapers said Friday that Mitchell will raise the issue of regional negotiations with Lebanese officials to see whether Lebanon is prepared to take part in peace talks with Israel. (dpa)