The Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam will head to Moscow tomorrow for a three-day visit to discuss the Iraqi crisis with Russian officials. This comes within the framework of active Arab and Western diplomatic efforts taking place in the region to banish the specter of war from Iraq
Khaddam is expected to meet with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and other officials in preparation for President Bashar al-Assad’s planned visit to Moscow.
Khaddam's visit coincides with the visit of Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, scheduled for tomorrow to Moscow. ElBaradei will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and high-level Russian officials to review what has been achieved in the inspection operations in Iraq, awaiting the publication of the report on the work of the inspectors on January 27.
On the economic issue, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko praised the relations between Russia and Syria, and said that the talks also aim to raise the level of economic cooperation between the two countries. It is noteworthy that the volume of trade exchange between Moscow and Damascus during the past year amounted to approximately 163 million dollars.
