DAMASCUS, Syria, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad spoke with a relief group and discussed various diplomatic issues with Iraqi officials.
Assad spoke with the International Rescue Committee to assess the situation of Iraqi refugees living in Syria. Assad spoke of the need to ensure children of the refugees received adequate education, said the official Syrian news agency, SANA.
Members of the aid group described the meeting in positive terms and thanked Syria for its efforts in hosting Iraqi refugees.
The officials discussed ways to coordinate efforts among health and education officials to provide more resources to Iraqi refugees.
Meanwhile, the speaker of the People's Assembly, Mahmoud al-Abrash, renewed the country's commitment to a stable and secure Iraq. Abrash met with the speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, to discuss diplomatic ties between the two nations, SANA said.
In other related developments, Assad sent a letter to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani Thursday inviting him to the upcoming Arab summit held in Damascus at the end of March.
