Damascus  - Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband urged Syria on Tuesday to continue efforts to reach a peace deal with Israel and accused the Syrian-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas of disrupting peace.

"Syria has a big potential role to play in stability in the Middle East. It can be a force for stability or it can be a force for instability," Miliband said.

Syria and Israel have conducted four rounds of indirect peace talks mediated by Turkey since May 2008. A fifth round of talks was postponed due to the leadership crisis within Israel following the resignation of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Miliband, who is the highest ranking British official to visit Syria since 2001, went on to criticize the Palestinian Islamist Group Hamas as an obstruction to the peace process. "Hamas rockets harm peace," he said, speaking at a press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem.

"Violence and disunity among Palestinian factions harms peace that Syria seeks to obtain," Miliband added.

The West has criticized Syria for supporting terrorism and for its close links with Iran. Syria hosts exiled members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and supports the Lebanese Hezbollah party.

When asked about Syria's relations with Hamas and Hezbollah al-Moallem said "this issue cannot be tacked until peace is obtained, we cannot jump to conclusions when the land is under occupation," al-Moallem said.

The British foreign secretary also called on the US president-elect Barack Obama to become involved in the Middle East peace process immediately after taking office. (dpa)