Syrian Official May Visit Baghdad

Soldiers from the 1st Armored Division's F Troop, 1st Brigade Reconnaissance Team and members of the Iraqi army at a landing zone near Iraq's border with Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syria's foreign minister is considering a visit to Baghdad next month _ the first by a top Syrian figure since Saddam Hussein's fall in 2003, a Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday.

"The idea is being considered, but no date has been set yet," said a Syrian Foreign Ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give statements to the press.

In Baghdad, an Iraqi Foreign Ministry official said the two ministries had agreed "in principle" that Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem would visit next month, but he did not give a date. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to make press statements.

Some U.S. politicians have urged the White House to make overtures to Syria to enlist its help in solving the crisis in Iraq, where Damascus is believed to have influence with some Sunni insurgent groups.

There have been talks in the past year between Syria and Iraq on restoring diplomatic ties and exchanging ambassadors, but a date was never set for opening embassies and appointing ambassadors.

Read the rest at the Washington Post

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