Talibani meets with Khaddam, al-Ahmar

The office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Damascus on Sunday stressed that Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam met on Saturday and Sunday with group's leader, Jalal Talibani. The office was quoted as saying that talks dealt with the situation in the region in light of the crisis between Iraq and the UN. Talibani, who arrived in Damascus on Wednesday in a visit aimed at strengthening old ties linking him to Syrian officials, also met with the Baath Party's assistant secretary general, Abdullah al-Ahmar. Talibani's last visit to Syria took place in 1996.