Syria Pledges to Aid Iraq's Security
The United States and some Iraqi officials have repeatedly accused Damascus of allowing Islamist elements - mainly al-Qaeda militants - to sneak through its porous frontiers.
Maliki's visit is his second to the Syrian capital - where he lived as a refugee during the Saddam Hussein regime - since becoming prime minister in April 2006. Iraq and Syria, which share borders, have experienced turbulent relations over the years. However, in November 2006, the two countries restored full diplomatic ties.
"Assad reiterated Syria's support of Iraq in all matters that help bolster its security and stability and preserve its integrity of land and people, affirming that Syria also supports the efforts of the national reconciliation governments for ensuring the success of the political process," an official English statement said after Tuesday's talks.
"Malki expressed hope that his visit to Syria will help boost cooperation between the two countries in service of their mutual interests, voicing his appreciation of Syria's positive role in supporting stability in Iraq," the statement added.
With the balance of power shifting as the impending pullout of U.S. forces by the end of 2011 approaches, Maliki's trip to Syria underscored emerging strains in his relationship with the Obama administration and its decision to send the military delegation last week. The some 130,000 remaining U.S. troops face new limits on their actions in Iraq under a security pact that took effect on Jan. 1, and the Iraqi government has increasingly been asserting its sovereignty and reaching out to neighboring countries.
"The prime minister's discussions with senior Syrian officials will focus mainly on security cooperation between Baghdad and Damascus, and what can Syria propose in this field without the need for a third party," Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Alawi told Al-Bayan newspaper, which is owned by a Maliki adviser, in remarks published on Sunday.
"Baghdad doesn't care for any of these meetings about Iraq without its presence," he added.
On Monday, General Ray Odierno said that while the "flow of foreign fighters in Iraq has decreased significantly ... we're still a little bit concerned with Syria's role in this."
In recent months, Iraqi officials had hailed an improvement in security at the Syrian border.
In a statement to state-run Tishrin daily published on Tuesday, Maliki said that his visit to Damascus would discuss cooperation in fighting terrorism, which is "not only a challenge for Iraq but also a threat to all countries in the region."
Iraqi officials said the prime minister would ask Damascus to hand over people suspected of being linked to insurgent attacks in his country.
Syria is home to a number of Iraqis who were mid-ranking and senior members of Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath Party. Iraqi officials say Damascus allows them to live and engage in political activity in Syria.
Al-Maliki's trip overlaps with a string of bombings in northern Iraq and Baghdad that have killed at least 120 people in the last several days - the worst spate of violence since U.S. troops handed over security in urban areas to Iraqi security forces on June 30.
The attacks have raised fears that insurgent groups are embarking on a sustained attempt to kindle ethnic and sectarian warfare. These include the rift between Arab and Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq and the continued disenfranchisement felt by many Sunni Arabs who remain wary of the Shiite-led central government.
"Assad and Maliki discussed bilateral cooperation between Syria and Iraq and the importance of bolstering it in all fields, particularly in politics, economy and security and everything that secures the interests of the two countries and their peoples and preserve the region's stability in general," the official statement said.
"They also discussed the latest developments on the regional arena, stressing the need for intensifying dialogue, consultation and coordination regarding them between the two countries," it added.
The Iraqi prime minister was accompanied on his visit by Hussein al-Shahristani, the Iraqi oil minister, and Latif Rashid, the water minister, as well as senior security officials.
His talks in Syria were also set to focus on water resources, amid frequent complaints from Baghdad that the flow on the Euphrates River, which runs from Turkey through Syria to Iraq, is insufficient for Iraq's agricultural needs.
The talks were also likely to have focused on the implementation of an agreement to reopen a closed oil pipeline from Iraq to Syria's Mediterranean coast.
An initial agreement to reopen the pipeline, which runs from Iraq's northern oil fields to the Syrian port of Baniyas, had been reached in August 2007 but both governments said technical problems had prevented it being carried out.
Initially shut off in 1982, the pipeline reopened in 2000 but was shut off again in 2003 following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Before March 2003, Syria received around 200,000 barrels of oil a day from Iraq at preferential prices, enabling it to profit from sales on the international market.
Maliki was set to meet later in the day with Iraqi tribal leaders living in Damascus to convince them to return to their country, which they left due to instability and generally poor conditions. He will call them to contribute in the political process in Iraq as well.
There are around 1 million Iraqis living in Syria, according to unofficial statistics.