Syria said it will attend Tuesday's U.S.-hosted Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, however, Damascus will be represented by its deputy foreign minister rather than the country's top diplomat, a source close to the foreign ministry told AFP on Sunday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal "Mekdad will represent Syria officially at Annapolis," the source told AFP.

Other Arab countries attending the conference, including Saudi Arabia, are sending their foreign ministers.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem had pegged Syria's participation on condition Washington included the issue of the Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied since 1967, on the agenda of the conference.