"He would expect to travel to the region in the near future and, as part of that trip, he would expect to stop in Damascus," spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters.

However, he stressed that "there is not a specific trip on the books right now" and said its timing was dependent on the publication of the long-awaited roadmap for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The release of the roadmap is linked to the confirmation of new Palestinian prime minister Abu Mazen, which is possible next week, but State Department officials said Powell would not likely make the trip before the last week in April or early May.

Boucher dismissed reports suggesting the trip, when it happens, would focus on Syria and US concerns about its alleged support for Saddam Hussein's regime, pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and support for terrorism.

"It's really dependent on how we decide to move forward on peace in the Middle East, how he decides to get engaged more actively in that process," Boucher said, referring to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"But as part of a trip like that, he would be interested in talking to the government of Syria about some of these particular issues that we have been pursuing," the spokesman said.

Washington has ramped up pressure on Damascus in recent weeks, accusing it of smuggling materiel into Iraq, allowing foreign Islamic fighters to cross its borders and providing safe haven to former Saddam associates fleeing Baghdad.

On Monday, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Syria had conducted a chemical weapons test during the past 12 to 15 months, while Powell raised the possibility of diplomatic and economic sanctions against Damascus.

A day later, however, Powell deliberately toned down the rhetoric, telling foreign journalists that the United States had no plans to follow up the conflict in Iraq with wars against neighboring Syria or Iran.

Then in an interview on Wednesday, Powell raised the possibility of visiting Damascus to discuss Washington's concerns with his Syrian counterpart, Faruq al-Shara, and President Bashar al-Assad.

Powell made clear that such a trip would come in the framework of a broader visit to the Middle East, but some interpreted his comments as a sign of an imminent trip aimed at preventing already strained US ties with Syria from deteriorating further.

Despite Boucher's insistence that a trip was not yet "on the books," Syrian officials -- who have denied the US allegations and reacted angrily to the heated rhetoric -- reacted positively to the possibility of a Powell visit.

Shara, speaking to reporters in Cairo, said the secretary would be "welcome," adding: "I think dialogue between the two countries is of common interest."

Syria's ambassador to the United States, Rostom al-Zoubisaid Zoubi, said a Powell trip would be "a good step in the right direction, because direct dialogue between us and the United States is better than to accuse from a far distance."

SPACE.WIRE