American-Arab group holds talks with Assad

A delegation of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee held talks Sunday with Syrian President Bashar Assad on the situation in Iraq and other matters of regional concern, Syria's official news agency SANA reported. The talks covered "Syria's support for the political process to restore stability" in Iraq, the stalled Mideast peace process, combating terrorism and political and economic reform in Syria, the agency said. Syria has long been listed by the US as a supporter of terrorism. Last week, the State Department included it on a list of 12 countries that risk sanctions for not doing enough to stop human trafficking. The United States currently imposes limited economic sanctions on Syria. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee describes itself as an Arab-American civil rights organization that defends the rights of Americans of Arab descent from discrimination, stereotyping, and hate crimes.