Syrian President Bashar Assad had talks with the leader of a Syrian party Wednesday on strengthening national unity and boosting the "internal front to confront the current challenges" Syria is facing, Syria's official SANA news agency reported. The meeting with Issam Mahayri, leader of the ultranationalist Syrian Social Nationalist Party, was the first ever between Syria's president and a leader of local party not affiliated with the Progressive National Front, the top ruling body in Syria. SANA said the meeting focused also on the latest developments of the "political events taking place on the Arab arena and Syrian positions toward the current issues". The meeting was seen as indicating Assad's openness to local parties and his willingness to expand the ruling front, which includes the ruling Baath party and six other parties. Joseph Suwayed, a lawmaker and a member of the SSNP's politburo, said the meeting "emphasizes a serious and honest intention of the political leadership in Syria in moving forward to let all political vital parties in Syria to participate in Syria's renaissance". --More 2242 Local Time 1942 GMT
