Turkey, Syria seek common stance on Iraq

Al-Sharaa is seeking a common stance with Turkey at an upcoming international conference on Iraq to be hosted by Egypt on Nov. 22-23 and at a meeting of Iraq’s neighbors and the G-8 group of industrialized countries. Iraq’s neighbors have been convening at foreign ministerial gatherings since January 2003.

Both countries share similar concerns over the future of Iraq, with the capitals worried about a possible disintegration of the country and, in particular, the emergence of an independent Kurdish state in the north.

The conference, which will take place at Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, will be the first international meeting on Iraq since the U.S.-led war in the country last year.

The conference, which precedes a general election in Iraq slated for January, is to be attended by Iraq’s interim government headed by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, countries neighboring Iraq, the G-8 countries, the United Nations, the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Both Turkey and Syria are concerned over the increased political influence of the Kurds in the north of Iraq. Turkey is expected to reiterate its position that Iraq’s territorial integrity should be maintained and call for more participation of international organizations, particularly the Arab League, in matters relating to the future of Iraq, officials said.

Syria agreed this week to resume full diplomatic ties with Iraq and to work with Baghdad on controlling the border to stop illegal crossings. "There has been a positive response by the Syrian government to the Iraqi government’s demands of joint security cooperation in controlling the borders and stopping infiltration," Iraq’s interim foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said.

Talks with al-Sharaa also touched on the situation in the Middle East, where the health of ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is causing worries over the already faltering peace process.

Al-Sharaa’s visit also comes in preparation for a planned visit by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Damascus in December.

The Syrian minister is expected to deliver a formal invitation from President Bashar Assad to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to visit Turkey in January.