Syria Hosts Confab
On Iraq Security
DAMASCUS, Syria, Aug. 8--A two-day international security conference on Iraq, which brings together representatives of Iraq’s neighbors and the international community, including the US and Iran, opened in the Syrian capital on Wednesday.
The meeting grew out of a May conference on Iraq held at the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, at which working groups on refugees, energy and border security were formed, Alalam.ir reported.
Syrian Interior Minister Bassam Abdel-Majid said the aim of the conference is to help the Iraqi people overcome the crisis and preserve their territory.
The meeting includes delegates from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Russia, China, Britain, France, the United States as well as the Arab League and the United Nations.
It is being held just as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki arrived in Iran on a visit aimed at boosting friendly ties with the Islamic Republic.
Abdul-Majeed stressed, prior to the conference, that his country had tightened its security measures along its borders with Iraq to prevent the infiltration of Arab fighters.
Syria opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Since then, it is hosting an estimated 1.4 million Iraqi refugees who have fled Iraq.
