Barbara Walters has expressed regret for trying to advance the media career of an adviser to Syrian President Bashar al Assad, after a British newspaper discovered emails between the pair.

Walters -- who was granted a rare and historic interview with the Syrian leader amid widespread civil unrest late last year -- sought to arrange for Sheherazad Jaafari, 22, to attend New York's Columbia School of Journalism, as well as lobbying CNN's Piers Morgan to give the girl an internship, The (London) Daily Telegraph reported, citing emails it had obtained.

Jaafari, who liaised with Walters as she sought the Assad interview, is the daughter of Syria's UN ambassador.

Walters, 82, expressed "regret" and admitted a conflict of interest when approached by the Telegraph.

She and Jaafari remained in touch after December's interview -- in which Assad denied being responsible for a bloody crackdown against regime opponents -- with Walters signing off some emails, "Hugs, Barbara" and Jaafari calling the veteran journalist her "adopted mother."

Walters reportedly scotched a request to get Jaafari a job with her at ABC, but wrote in a subsequent email, "I wrote to Piers Morgan and his producer to say how terrific you are and attached your resume."

Writing to Columbia professor Richard Wald, Walters gushed that Jaafari was "brilliant, beautiful, [and] speaks five languages," with Wald replying that he would get admissions staff to "give her special attention," the Telegraph said.

Jaafari did not end up at either Columbia or CNN.

Walters said in a statement, "In the aftermath [of the Assad interview], Ms Jaafari returned to the US and contacted me looking for a job. I told her that was a serious conflict of interest and that we would not hire her. I did offer to mention her to contacts at another media organization and in academia, though she didn't get a job or into school. In retrospect, I realize that this created a conflict and I regret that."

Jaafari did not respond to requests for comment, the Telegraph said.

SOURCE LINK: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9312558/Barbara-Walters-apologises-over-links-to-Syrian-aide-of-Bashar-al-Assad.html