DAMASCUS -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met Thursday night with Iraqi Kurdish Chief Jalal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and discussed the threat of a U.S. attack on Iraq.

"Assad and Talabani examined the matters related to Iraq and particularly the American threat against Baghdad," the official SANA news agency said.

Talabani, who arrived in the Syrian capital on Tuesday, has declined to speak to reporters about his visit, which is taking place against the background of threatened U.S. strikes on Iraq.

Both the PUK and Syria have publicly opposed such a strike, warning of regional instability.

Talabani's group and the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party have controlled northern Iraq in defiance of Baghdad since the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait, AFP reported.