Syria to attend meeting with Iraq

Syria signals that it will be open to Turkey’s efforts to mediate between the country and Iraq to settle the recent row between the two neighbors.

The Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said on Wednesday that he will be attending a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Thursday.

“Syria will attend tomorrow’s meeting. We are not sure whether Iraq will attend. We are completely committed to our strategic cooperation relationship with Iraq …,” said the Foreign Minister.

Ties between the two neighboring countries have been strained after Baghdad accused Damascus of sheltering militants it believes masterminded a string of bomb attacks inside Iraq.

The attacks included two truck bombings outside government buildings that killed 95 people in Baghdad.

The Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has called on the United Nations to launch a probe into the attacks.

Turkey has been trying to play the role of a mediator in the diplomatic feud.