Assad Sacks Syrian Official Who Met with U.S.

Did not have permission

Syria's president sacked a deputy prime minister who met U.S. officials over the weekend for acting without permission, the official government news agency said Tuesday.

Qadri Jamil held talks with U.S. officials in Geneva over the weekend to discuss the possibility of holding a peace conference for Syria in that city, according to a U.N. official. No breakthroughs were reported to have come out of the talks. The U.N. official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

The state news agency SANA said a decree issued by President Bashar Assad relieved Jamil of his duties. His transgressions included "undertaking activities and meetings outside the homeland without coordination with the government," "bypassing" state institutions and absence from his workplace without permission.