The first Syrian minister in Iraq for 18 years

Syrian Health minister Eyad al-Shatti has arrived in Amman to take part in the Syrian-Iraqi medical week due to start today. This is the first visit of a Syrian minister to Iraq since relations between the two countries were severed 18 years ago.

In an arrival statement al-Shatti said his visit aims at consolidating continued cooperation between Syria and Iraq in all fields. Arriving with the Syrian minister was a Syrian truck loaded with foodstuffs and medical supplies as a gift from the people of Syria to the Iraqi people, MENA reported.