DW-World.de
Deutsche Welle

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has met with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to discuss the Middle East peace process. The meeting comes as Syria and Israel conduct indirect peace talks through Turkish mediation. During his two-day visit to Damascus, Abbas is also expected to explore reconciling his Fatah faction with Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal lives in exile in Damascus. An aide to Abbas said the Palestinian president had no plans to meet Meshaal, despite making a public call for a national dialogue between the two Palestinian factions three weeks ago.