Abbas, Assad meet in Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria, June 20 (UPI) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Saturday with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, officials said.

Officials said the two would talk about developments in Palestine and the Middle East, including reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's declaration this week he would support a Palestinian state if it were demilitarized, KUNA, the Kuwait news agency, reported.

The leaders were also to discuss reconciliation efforts between Abbas' Palestinian Authority and the militant group Hamas; his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama; and progress in peace talks both countries have been holding with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell, KUNA said.