But hey, why listen to the Syrians? They're just dumb Arabs

Syrian foreign minister says timetable for U.S. pullout would reduce violence

BAGHDAD, Iraq: Setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq would reduce violence, the Syrian foreign minister said Sunday during a breakthrough visit to Baghdad.

Walid Moallem and his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari, told reporters they had discussed restoring diplomatic relations between Damascus and Baghdad, which were severed in 1982. There was no word that diplomatic ties had been reopened.

"We believe that that a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq will help in reducing violence and preserving security," said Moallem, the highest level Syrian official to visit Iraq since the ouster of Saddam Hussein.

Moallem also promised to cooperate with Iraqi authorities as they struggle to control chaos that threatens the country with civil war.

"We are exerting all our efforts and understand that Iraq's security is part of our security. We will cooperate and we have specific ideas to discuss with the brothers in Iraq in order to set up this cooperation," Moallem said.

He also called on Iraqis to put aside sectarian and ethnic divisions and to end the killing that is ravaging the country.

"Syria's renews its condemnation of all acts of terrorism that occurred and are occurring in Iraq and are harming the Iraqi people. We call you to cling to your unity," he said.

Moallem also countered U.S. and Iraqi complaints about poor control of the long border between Iraq and Syria, saying that Washington was unable to control is border with Mexico and had resorted to constructing a wall.

Washington and Baghdad contend that Syria has allowed foreign fighters to cross the frontier to join the Sunni insurgency that is responsible for most American deaths in Iraq and those of tens of thousands of Iraqis, mainly Shiite Muslims.

The Bush administration is under pressure to involve both Syria and Iran, Iraq's neighbor to the east, in attempts to quell the violence that is tearing the country apart. Last month, former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III, who heads the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, suggested that Washington should seek Iranian and Syrian help to pacify Iraq.

But Moallem denied that his visit was related to any U.S. overture.

"I did not come to Iraq to please anyone. I came here to please the people of Iraq and the people of Syria," he said.

Syria's top diplomat also was to meet with President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during his two-day visit.

Damascus broke relations with Baghdad in 1982, accusing Iraq of inciting riots by the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Syria. Damascus also sided with Iran in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

Syria and Iraq, both then ruled by rival factions of the Baath Party, resumed trade relations in 1997. Ties began to improve with the turn of the century, when former Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa Miro visited Iraq in 2001.

Although neither foreign minister announced a resumption of diplomatic relations, Syrian officials said in February that Damascus would exchange ambassadors with Iraq once a new Iraqi government was formed. The new government took office in Iraq in May.

Last week, al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, told editors of local newspapers that Syria wanted a fresh start with Iraq.

"We have the same desire," al-Maliki said. "If they take one step toward us, we would respond by taking five steps toward them."

Last year, Syria said its forces had caught 1,400 infiltrators from Arab and Muslim countries since the war began in 2003, adding that most of them had been returned to their home countries. Thousands of Syrians were stopped from crossing, too.

Syria also said that it has increased border outposts to 557 with each position staffed by eight to 10 soldiers.

Syria currently hosts tens of thousands of Iraqis who fled violence in their country.

Syria and Jordan are the only countries that allow Iraqis to enter without visas, but recently the Jordanians have been restrictions meaning a great flow to Syria.

Original article posted here.