Syria improving Iraq border security

1/2/2005 3:00:00 PM GMT

Syria has improved security along its border with Iraq, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, said on Sunday.

Armitage's comments came few days after the U.S. President George W. Bush threatened to impose more trade and diplomatic sanctions against Damascus.

"Syria has made some improvements in recent months on border security," Armitage said after meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara.

"But we all need to do more particularly on the question of foreign regime elements participating in activities in Iraq going back and forth from Syria."

The United States claims that Syria is supporting the resistance in Iraq by sending military equipment and allowing fighters to cross its border into Iraq.

Syria denies the allegations and insists that it’s doing its best to tighten security along the hundreds of miles of mostly desert terrain that define its border with Iraq.

"I made a point here that we have seen a lot of
improvement... This is a good thing," Armitage said.

Friendly relations

Armitage also said that he discussed Iraq’s January elections with the Syrian leadership and stressed the need for good relations between Damascus and Baghdad.

"(The) U.S. side stress the importance of the Iraqi election on Jan. 30 ... I believe I found here in Syria the same view," he said.

"It's very important that the new Iraq has a very friendly relationship with Syria and I hope our Syrian friends are committed to that same type friendship." He added.

In May, Washington imposed a series of sanctions on Syria after accusing Damascus of seeking weapons of mass destruction and sheltering Palestinian resistance groups.

Syria denied the allegations, insisting that it only supports Palestinian groups morally but not militarily.

Pressures

Syria is also facing international pressures to pull out its forces from Lebanon.

The UN adopted resolution 1559 in September demanding all foreign troops to leave Lebanon. Since then, Syria made two major troops redeployments in Lebanon but has yet to fully implement the resolution.

"We talked about the necessity of full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559," Armitage said.

Syria's official news agency, SANA, reported that President Assad discussed with the U.S. delegation "the situation in Iraq and the political process there, including the elections." It added that the two sides also discussed the Middle East peace process.

Armitage, who will also travel to Jordan and Turkey, which also border Iraq, arrived in Syria from northern Iraq, where he paid a surprise visit.