US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid
al-Muallem yesterday at this Egyptian resort on the sideline of a ministerial
meeting of the International Compact with Iraq (ICI), informed sources told
Xinhua.
The sources said Muallem was accompanied by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed
Abul Gheit into a meeting room for bilateral talks, where Rice was waiting.
The two foreign ministers held face-to-face talks for 30minutes. Muallem told
Xinhua sources afterwards that his talks with Rice was "constructive" and the
atmosphere was good.
Muallem said their talks dealt with both how to help Iraq regain security and
stability, including the issue of infiltrated militants on the Syrian-Iraqi
border alleged by the United States, and bilateral relations between Washington
and Damascus.
Muallem also said talks with Rice didn't deal with the Lebanese issue.
Rice told journalists afterwards that her talks with Muallem was businesslike
and focused on the Iraqi issue. "I would say it was professional, businesslike.
It was very concrete."
She said she raised the issue of border security with the Syrian foreign
minister and urged Syria to do more to ensure a secure Syrian-Iraqi border.
"Syrians clearly say that they believe that stability in Iraqis in their
interest. Acts will speak louder than words, and I think we will have to see how
this develops," she said.
Rice, before coming to this Egyptian resort, said she was willing to meet
with Muallem and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who also attended
the ICI meeting.
Muallem, who has said he was willing to meet Rice during an interview with a
Lebanese TV on Monday, arrived at the Red Sea resort just several hours before
his meeting with Rice.
It was the first meeting of such kind since November of 2004,when then
outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell held a bilateral meeting with former
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara.
The two sides met at a similar, yet small-scale, international meeting on
Iraq, which gathered senior diplomats from about 20nations and regional and
international organizations.
Powell and al-Shara discussed issues related to border security, relations
between Syria and US forces in Iraq.
Relations between Washington and Damascus have been strained since 2003 as
Syria strongly objected the US invasion of Iraq and blamed the US-led occupation
for the turbulences in the country ever after.
The United States, on the contrary, has been accusing Syria of supporting
terror organizations and doing little to stop weapons and militants from
infiltrating into Iraq and destabilize situation there.
Damascus supports the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the
Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement which Washington labels as terror
organizations. Syria, however, insists that they are legitimate resistant
movements.
US-Syrian ties further deteriorated following the murder of former Lebanese
premier Rafik Hariri in February 2005 after which Washington withdrew its
ambassador to Damascus for its alleged role in the killing.
Syria denied any involvement in the murder although a UN probe has implicated
senior Syrian officials in the case.
Washington, which had since refused high-level contacts with Damascus, has
been under pressure to engage directly with Syria to help quiet down upgrading
turmoil in Iraq.
The US bipartisan Iraq Study Group has urged the Bush administration to
engage in talks with Syria and Iran over Iraq.