Taha Yassin Ramadan in Damascus to strengthen economic ties
It was announced in Damascus on a visit by the Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan to Syria in order to preside over the Iraqi side to the meetings of the Iraqi- Syrian higher committee together with the Syrian prime minister Muhammad Mustafa Miro by the beginning of next week.
The Iraqi trade minister Muhammad Mahdi Saleh, who is taking part in the preliminary meetings of the higher committee said that value of trade exchange between the two states reached 4 billion dollars since 1997 until the present time. He unveiled that the bid on the new oil pipe between the two states will be announced very soon.
On the other hand, the Syrian minister of the economy Ghassan al-Refai considered that any likely military strike against Iraq will damage the economics of the region as a whole.
Saleh had met with the Syrian prime minister Muhammad Mustafa Miro and with the Syrian ministers of the economy, finance and industry.
Within the two coming days preparations will be resumed for convening the meeting of the joint higher committee.
Saleh said that the meeting of the joint higher committee will result in finalizing agreements including the establishment of Syrian factories in Iraq. He added that Iraq had imported from Syria items estimated at a value of 4 billion dollars since 1997 according to the UN "oil for food" program and the free trade agreement between the two states. He said that the trade exchange balance has settled during the two recent years at the level of $ 2 billion annually.
Replying to a question concerning the likely American pressures concerning the installing of the oil pipeline between Syria and Iraq, Saleh said "We are an independent state and we have our decisions that serves our special interests and we will not be subjected to any pressures." He indicated that the free trade agreement between the two states has been enforced since April, adding that it is the first agreement to be implemented by Iraq and one of the Arab states.