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Update: Rep. Kucinich's office has issued a press release confirming that the congressman is "on a fact-finding mission to Syria and Lebanon" accompanied by a delegation that includes his wife, Elizabeth. The office explains that Kucinich was asked by his constituents, who include many Arab-Americans, to "investigate conditions on the ground in Syria" and seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict there, and that he'll meet with democracy activists, NGOs, small business owners, and civilians in addition to the Syrian and Lebanese presidents. "Peace is a conscious, active pursuit that requires work and communication," Kucinich is quoted as saying.

Earlier this morning, CNN's Hala Gorani, one of the few Western journalists who has been permitted entry to Damascus, issued a strange tweet: "Ran into Dennis Kucinich in another hotel. Told me he's on fact-finding mission. Met w Assad for 3 hrs yest. Wouldn't elaborate." What is the anti-war, anti-Libya campaign Ohio Democrat doing meeting with the head of a regime accused of killing over 1,300 people in its crackdown on anti-government protests?

The answer's proving rather elusive. The only report on the visit thus far comes from Syria's state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, which claims that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with a Kucinich-led delegation and British Conservative Party politician Brooks Newmark (the news has since been picked up by AFP/NOW Lebanon and a couple others). According to SANA, Assad emphasized the importance of distinguishing between the "legitimate demands" of protesters and the "organized armed groups" who are hijacking those demands to "create chaos and destabilize the country." Kucinich and Newmark, meanwhile, "expressed keenness on Syria's security and stability as an essential pillar in the region," according to the report. Does that language ring a bell to any Kucinich watchers out there? In fact, SANA quoted Kucinich as recognizing Syria's "pivotal role in bolstering security and stability in the region" during a visit with Assad back in 2007, when Kucinich was a presidential candidate. In this segment aired on Syrian state television at the time, Kucinich explained how Assad "showed a real desire to play a role in helping to create a peaceful settlement of the conditions in Iraq as well as a grander approach towards creating peace."