Maliki in Syria to mend strained ties

The leaders of Iraq and Syria met on Wednesday for the first time since withdrawing envoys from each other's capitals last year, as Iraq's Nuri Al Maliki seeks regional support to remain in power.

Six months after an inconclusive election, Maliki is trying to build a coalition government that will keep him in office as prime minister. He visited Damascus on Wednesday and also plans to travel to Jordan and Turkey later this month.

He has had a troubled relationship with Syria but has recently sought to mend ties. Last month the two countries agreed to restore ambassadors which both sides withdrew last year after Maliki accused Damascus of shielding bombers that killed 100 people in Baghdad.

A Syrian official statement said President Bashar Al Assad had emphasised "the importance of coming up with a unity cabinet" for Iraq during his meeting with Maliki.

Maliki, a Shia, has already received backing for his bid to remain in power from Shi'ite groups with links to Iran.

Iraq's Arab neighbours, along with the United States, are worried that a Shia-dominated Iraqi government retaining Maliki might exclude a cross-sectarian bloc, supported by Sunnis, which received the most votes in the election. They are pressing for a "unity" government to include that bloc.

Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani accompanied Maliki. Political differences between the two countries have stalled oil and gas deals, such as a plan to reopen a pipeline linking Iraqi oil fields to a Syrian port, and improving cooperation in the sector could be key to winning Syrian support for Maliki.

The rift between Syria and Maliki, who has backing from Iran, exposed differences between frequent allies Damascus and Tehran over Iraq. Maliki's visit to Damascus coincided with the first visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Lebanon, where Syria and Iran both support Shia militants Hezbollah.

Syria, which has a 600km border with Iraq, adopted a more conciliatory attitude toward Maliki after Ahmadinejad met Assad twice in the last several weeks.

Veteran Lebanese political commentator Jihad Zain said in an article in An Nahar newspaper that Iran and Syria appear to have reached an understanding that would give Tehran the upper hand over Iraq while leaving Syria with more say over Lebanon.

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