Talibani meets Khaddam, al-Ahmar: View points are identical concerning Iraq
Syria-Iraq, Politics, 7/3/2003

The Syrian Vice President, Abdul Halim Khaddam, and the assistant secretary general of the Baath Arab Socialist Party, Abdullah al-Ahmar, received the chairman of the Kurdistani National Federation, Jalal al-Talibani, in two separate meetings in Damascus yesterday.

In conclusion of the two meetings, Talibani sources stressed that there is "identical view points concerning the future of Iraq on the need to guarantee its national unity." Sources of the "National Federation" in Damascus said that President Bashar al-Assad will be meeting with Talibani but the date of the meeting was not set yet.

The sources added that Talibani discussed during the two meetings the situation in Iraq and conditions in the region. He "conveyed a picture on the situation in Iraq, Kurdistan and future Iraq." The sources added that there were "identical view points concerning the future of Iraq and the need of maintaining its national unity, and preventing conflicts among groups." The sources denied "strongly" that an Israeli delegation visited Kurdistan and met with Kurdish officials.

The sources added that Talibani's visit to Syria which lasts for five days is made "at an agreement between the two sides," starting a tour which will take him to Russia and China.

Yesterday, Talibani visited the Russian and Chinese embassies in Damascus. He will visit the American and Iranian embassies and other embassies today.

This is, however, Talibani's first visit to Syria following the collapse of the Iraqi regime. The prime minister of al-Suleimaneyah district, Baeham Saleh, had visited Damascus earlier.

On the other hand a delegation representing the Iraqi al-Ramadi city chamber of commerce led by Riad al-Alwani met with the chairman of the federation of the Syrian chambers of commerce, Rateb al-Shallah, in the framework of his tour on several Syrian governorates starting as from al-Raqqa. This tour covered Deir Ezz Zour, Homs, Aleppo and Damascus. It aims at discussing cooperation between the two sides in trade.

Previous Stories:
  Talibani in Damascus: occupation prevents fighting   (7/2/2003)
  Al-Khaleij: Al-Sharif Ali Bin al-Hussein to visit Syria   (7/1/2003)
  UNHCR: Syrian refugees expelled from their houses in Iraq   (6/27/2003)

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