Iraqi PM visits Syria to bolster ties

DAMASCUS — Syria and Iraq on Sunday said they would step up efforts to fight terrorism and reinforce cooperation in several sectors, as Damascus recovers its place in the Arab world.

In May, Syrian President Bashar Assad was welcomed back to the Arab League, marking his first appearance at the pan-Arab body since Syria was suspended in 2011 over its crackdown on pro-democracy protests which led to a protracted war.

Despite the conflict Iraq maintained diplomatic ties with its neighbour Syria and on Sunday Assad hosted Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al Sudani for talks in Damascus.

They discussed "reinforcing cooperation between the two countries in various sectors... in addition to joint efforts to fight back against terrorism", a statement from Assad's office said.

"We are facing several challenges, first and foremost that of terrorism," Assad later said at a joint news conference with Sudani.

Syria and Iraq share a 600-kilometre-long border flanked on either side by swathes of desert where Daesh group fighters, defeated in both countries, have hideouts from which they carry out frequent attacks.

Cross-border drug trafficking is also rife in the region, including along the frontier with Jordan, whose foreign minister earlier this month discussed with Assad in Damascus a crackdown on smuggling.

Several Arab countries are seeking increased security cooperation with Syria, which has turned into a narco-state with a roaring illegal trade in the stimulant drug captagon.

Sudani told reporters that Iraq “worked hard to bring back Syria into the Arab League and its natural environment”.

“We are seeking... to redress the Syrian economy and find solutions to the consequences of the war,” he said, calling for the lifting of Western sanctions imposed on Damascus.