US Senator Kerry meets Assad in Damascus

Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara (R) meets with US Senator John Kerry in Damascus yesterday. Kerry, a former presidential candidate who now chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as Washington reviews its policies towards countries regarded as hostile under the former administration.Photo: AFP

US Senator John Kerry on Saturday met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as Washington reviews its policies towards countries regarded as hostile under the former administration, SANA news agency reported.
Kerry, a former presidential candidate who now chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, is the latest US legislator to visit Damascus this week.
His talks with Assad were set to focus on Syria's support for Iran and regional Islamist militant groups, including the Shiite Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
"We want Syria to respect the political independence of Lebanon, we want Syria to help in the process of resolving issues with Hezbollah and with the Palestinians," Kerry said on Wednesday in Lebanon.
"We want Syria to help... with the disarmament of Hezbollah," added Kerry, the most senior US official to visit Damascus since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2007.
Syria dominated neighbouring Lebanon for three decades until April 2005 when it pulled out its troops in the face of international pressure following the assassination of Lebanon's former premier Rafiq Hariri.