Syrian President Bashar Assad yesterday renewed his country's call for dialogue with the United States to improve strained relations. Assad spoke during a meeting with US Congressman Gary Ackerman, a Democrat from New York, Syria's official news agency, SANA, reported. SANA said the talks centered on the regional situation, including developments in Iraq and the occupied Palestinian territories, "as well as the Middle East peace process, terrorism and ways of combating it." The talks also dealt with strained Syrian-US relations, with Assad stressing the importance of dialogue "and the need to continue it for the benefit of the two countries." A press release issued by the American Cultural Center in Damascus said Ackerman's talks with Assad covered "a full range of topics relating to US-Syria relations and regional issues."