Syria, Iraq To Restore Relations

Diplomatic Relations Were Severed In 1982; Iran Invites Syria, Iraq To Summit

(CBS/AP)  Diplomatic relations between Syria and Iraq – severed nearly a quarter-century ago – will be restored this week during the visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, the government spokesman said Monday.

Moallem arrived Sunday in Iraq in the first such high-level visit by a Syrian official since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003. He was expected to return to Damascus on Tuesday.

"Diplomatic relations will be restored between the two countries during the visit," Ali al-Dabbagh told The Associated Press.

The Syrians are plainly worried that escalating violence here could spill over their borders, along with a flood of Iraqi refugees, reports CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer.

Iraq and the United States hope that Syria's offer of help means it will now get serious about choking off the flow of hundreds insurgent fighters who travel to Iraq over their common border.

Syria broke diplomatic ties with Iraq in 1982, accusing it of inciting riots by the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Syria. Damascus also sided with Iran in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Trade ties were restored in 1997.

Also Monday, four key lawmakers told the Associated Press that Iran has invited the Iraqi and Syrian presidents to Tehran for a weekend summit with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to hash out ways to cooperate in curbing the runaway violence that has taken Iraq to the verge of civil war and threatens to spread through the region.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has accepted the invitation and will fly to the Iranian capital on Saturday, a close parliamentary associate said.

The Iranian diplomatic gambit appeared designed to upstage expected moves from Washington to include Syria and Iran in a wider regional effort to clamp off violence in Iraq, where more civilians have been killed in the first 20 days of November than in any other month since the AP began tracking the figure in April 2005.

The Iranian move was also a display of its increasingly muscular role in the Middle East, where it already has established deep influence over Syria and Lebanon.

"All three countries intend to hold a three-way summit among Iraq, Iran and Syria to discuss the security situation and the repercussions for stability of the region," said Ali al-Adeeb, a lawmaker of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party and a close aide to the prime minister.

Both Iran and Syria are seen as key players in Iraq. Syria is widely believed to have done little to stop foreign fighters and al Qaeda in Iraq recruits from crossing its border to join Sunni insurgents in Iraq. It also has provided refuge for many top members of Saddam Hussein's former leadership and political corps, which is thought to have organized arms and funding for the insurgents. The Sunni insurgency, since it sprang to life in the late summer of 2003, has been responsible for the vast majority of U.S. deaths in Iraq.

Iran is deeply involved in training, funding and arming the two major Shiite militias in Iraq, where Tehran has deep historic ties to the current Shiite political leadership.

Many Iraqi Shiites spent years in Iranian exile during Saddam's decades in power in Baghdad. One militia, the Badr Brigade, was trained in Iran by the Revolutionary Guard.

An Ahmadinejad spokesman said that Talibani's visit was scheduled several weeks ago for late November to work on improving bilateral relations. But Majid Yazdi told The Associated Press that he had no information on a coming visit by the Syrian leader.

But Talabani confidants said the invitation was issued on Thursday by Iranian Ambassador Hassan Kazimi Qumi who said Syrian President Bashar Assad also would be in Tehran for the talks with Ahmadinejad.

[gramto7]

I could go along with joeshields56. We leave them a set amount of $$ and then pull ALL of our troops out! And we tell them that there will be NO FURTHER $$ coming. They must rebuild on the amount given. Of course, finding an honest person to give the $$ to might be a bit difficult. If it like most countries, the $$ will disappear and no work be done. This includes our own country.

[joeshields56]

This is good, we should thank Syria and Iran for their willingness to help their neighbor country in need, all the while we are packing our bags.

Maybe if we leave a big enough pile of money to help them rebuild it would ease our conscious. Rebuilding Iraq should be a lot easier without Syria and Iran obstructing the effort every step of the way.

[trueprogress]

If you do not believe in Democracy now ! Wny not for people of color and different religions ?

[trueprogress]

Electricity is something that you can live without.

Freedom is like gold. Do you know how many newspapers, and radio and TV stations are now free in Iraq ?

The seeds of Democracy are in place. The long term good changes of our war in Iraq will blossom .

Pres. Bush is a Progressive, bringing Power to the People !

[cbgb31]

Pakaal,, I think that's part of Bush's concept of helping small business,, Now if you can afford to buy portable generators you can start your own elcetrical company in Iraq.
Posted by j-whitman at 07:12 PM : Nov 20, 2006

I like that spin, j-whitman. "We've created a world of new business opportunities in Iraq for entrepreneurs in the Utilities business."
Posted by pakaal at 07:16 PM : Nov 20, 2006

I have to admit those were both pretty funny.

[alphaa10-2009]

Partitioning Iraq-- 2
In his better days, Kissinger observed the best agreements, even with enemies, can be relied upon to work when they express mutual interest. In the same sense of mutual interest, successful resettling followed the vicious civil war which issued India and Pakistan. The Balkans demonstrate comparative stability after several bloody years without the UN presence, and there are multiple other examples of the ability of an international or regional body to defuse tensions in a way that allows real healing to occur. Of course, the UN itself does not do the healing, but promotes conditions to allow healing to occur-- and this may be where you confuse the UN with the failed British mandate in Palestine.

Iraq is an outstanding example of regional rivalries at play, but no model at all for constructive outcomes. It is simply the convergence of a number of political faultlines, and only ignorance of what Saddam did to hold Iraq together would persuade anybody Iraq has a native cohesion or future. Most parties to Iraq would welcome a comparatively honest broker, one not identified with the US or UK or regional players like Syria, Iran and even Tureky. Until one is found, the current disaster will continue at great cost to the people of Iraq, and threaten the security of all parties. After invading the country, how ironic Bush might find the UN has great utility, after all.

[alphaa10-2009]

On the suggestion to partition Iraq, Sunshine_2 said, "Each time the UN decides the Borders of another Independant Country ... it does not bring Peace, but only further war after the resettling... Look at what was Formerly Palestine..."
---

As you say, no international or regional power collective can create what culture and local politics will not sustain. But that is precisely why a UN-coordinated partition is the only alternative to our vain attempts to glue an Iraq together which was never one to begin with.

[j-whitman]

I'm heading out to Denny's, talk more later.

[pakaal]

Well, I don't know what else Turkey has going on that's our fault (although there may be something - the Kurds on Turkey's southern border?). I know they're having trouble getting into the EU but I think that's because of their Armenian history "problem"....

[j-whitman]

I just heard we've lost 2 more today in Iraq, that brings the monthly total to 47 I believe... White House will now say we are winning & Iraq's safer.

[j-whitman]

We've not only lost our credibility,, We've lost our moral standing in the world.

[j-whitman]

We have no credibility in the entire region anymore, besides Turkey's got thier hands full with other problems caused by us.

[pakaal]

From another site, on electricity in Baghdad:

"Residents now receive an average of just 2.4 hours per day, compared to 16-24 hours before the U.S. invasion."

[pakaal]

I do wish Turkey would chime in on all this. If any country could be a mediating force, it would be them - secular government, Islamic people. Seems to me that they'd be able to explain the advantages to their system of governance - I don't think we have the credibility to do that any more.

[j-whitman]

Pakaal,, It might be a little better, I'm not sure. I was watching one of the press confrences from the Emerald City recently on our progress when they lost thier power.

[pakaal]

I read on some site - Democracy Now or one of those, it said something about them only having an average of 1-2 hours of electricity daily. And that was only in Baghdad. Was that what you heard, j-whitman?

I can't wait to get out of work so I can get home and check out that special on Iran. Two hour thing, taped it last night but haven't seen it yet.

[j-whitman]

We still need to fix our Army & Marine Corps before we can fix Iraq,, And that just isn't happening.

[j-whitman]

Pakaal,, you must have seen the same program I saw on electricity problems in Iraq

[pakaal]

I like that spin, j-whitman. "We've created a world of new business opportunities in Iraq for entrepreneurs in the Utilities business."

[j-whitman]

Pakaal,, I think that's part of Bush's concept of helping small business,, Now if you can afford to buy portable generators you can start your own elcetrical company in Iraq.