Sources close to the Iraqi ruling council revealed that its president, Jalal Talabani, received an official invitation today from the Syrian Vice President, Abdul Halim Khaddam, to visit Damascus and conduct talks, with the security file at the forefront.
The sources informed (Alyaf) that Talabani will undertake this visit on the sixteenth of the current month and noted that the invitation came hours after criticisms from the Iraqi official against the Syrian Foreign Ministry due to not inviting Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari to participate in the conference of foreign ministers of Iraq’s neighboring countries, which concluded its work in Damascus last Sunday.
Talabani accused Syria yesterday of interfering in Iraqi internal affairs, stating that its foreign ministry had a misguided reading of the Iraqi situation, adding that there is ambiguity surrounding the Syrian officials’ stance on the situation in Iraq.
The sources explained that Talabani will discuss with Khaddam the issue of controlling the joint Iraqi-Syrian borders and preventing infiltrators from entering Iraq to participate in armed operations against the coalition forces. Damascus has often faced accusations that a significant number of terrorists detained in Iraq hold Syrian nationality.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stated days ago that controlling these borders is nearly impossible, despite his country establishing observation points every three kilometers along its length. He complained that Syria is currently suffering from the smuggling of weapons from Iraq to its territory.
The sources also indicated that Talabani, accompanied by a high-level delegation to Damascus, including the Foreign Minister, will then make similar visits to Tehran and Ankara. They mentioned that agreements on economic, trade, and cultural matters will be signed in these capitals as part of the efforts to rebuild Iraq.
