Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday sent a cable of condolences to his US counterpart George W. Bush over a hurricane disaster in the United States, the official SANA news agency reported.

Assad, whose country is still under US economic sanctions, said he received with "severe pain and sorrow" news of the humanitarian catastrophe.

Assad expressed sympathy over the tragedy and voiced confidence that the US people are able to overcome the ordeal.

In May 2004, Washington slapped economic sanctions on Damascus, accusing it of seeking unconventional weapons and supporting terrorism.

Source: Xinhua