HELSINKI - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Helsinki on Wednesday that the UN-Arab League joint special envoy for Syria Kofi Annan is drafting a new peace plan on the conflict-torn country.

According to the Finnish News Agency, Clinton expressed a belief that Annan has ability to find out solution to the Syrian crisis.

Clinton arrived in Helsinki in the early morning of Wednesday for a one-day visit in Finland at the invitation of Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja.

Finnish president Sauli Niinisto met Clinton in the Presidential Residence on Wednesday. The two sides exchanged views on the situation in Syria, cooperation in the Arctic region, Russia and other issues.

Both sides recogized the severity of the Syria problem and called for efforts to work towards an early settlement on the issue. They believed that Russia can play an important role in this regard.

According to reports, after finishing her visit in Finland, Hillary Clinton will travel to Latvia and Russia on Thursday and attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's Women and the Economy Forum in St.Petersburg, Russia on June 28-30.