Syria's al-Assad urges Iraqi unity in talks with al-Sadr (Roundup)

Jul 20, 2009, 15:27 GMT

Damascus - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to press forward with Iraqi national reconciliation efforts in a Damascus meeting on Monday, Syria's state news agency said.

Al-Assad stressed 'the importance of promoting national reconciliation among the Iraqi people and Syria's keenness to support any effort aimed at achieving this goal for the sake of preserving the security and stability of Iraq,' according to an official statement from the president's office.

The meeting sought to reinforce the 'ties of brotherhood, friendship and common interests that bring together the peoples of both countries, Iraq and Syria, and to discuss the latest developments in the Iraqi arena,' the statement said.

Al-Sadr expressed his appreciation for Syria's support 'for the interests of the Iraqi people' and for the unity of the country and its people, Syria's state SANA news agency said.

Joshua Landis, co-director of Middle East studies at the University of Oklahoma, saw a subtext to al-Assad's hosting al-Sadr in Damascus.

'Al-Sadr is the bete noir of Americans in Iraq. The United States considers him a tool of Iran and a thug,' he said. 'His invitation to Damascus may be an indication to the Americans that 'You need us (Syria); we do have a central role. You can't just put us in deep- freeze'.'

'The quid-pro-quo that emerged during (former US president George W) Bush's administration was 'You give us security cooperation in Iraq, and we'll give you an ambassador',' Landis said. 'That quid-pro-quo seems to have continued under (US President Barack) Obama.'

Earlier this month, US media reported that the Obama administration might soon appoint an ambassador to Damascus. Bush withdrew his ambassador to Syria in 2005, after the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

'Nothing is working out for the Syrians now,' Landis said. 'The Americans believe that with the trouble in (Syrian ally) Iran and (Syrian ally) Hezbollah's loss in the Lebanese elections, they can play hardball with the Syrians.'

By hosting al-Sadr, Landis said, 'Syria is saying, 'Don't get smug. Things can turn very quickly. We're still important'.'

Sheikh Ra'id al-Kazami, the head of al-Sadr's office in Damascus, earlier told the German Press Agency dpa that the cleric, who maintains a broad following - particularly among poor, Iraqi Shiite Muslims - would discuss 'the situation in Iraq after the withdrawal of US soldiers from Iraqi cities' at the end of June.

During his last visit to Damascus, in February 2006, al-Sadr urged Sunni and Shiite Muslims to set aside their differences to counter 'the Western offensive against Islam and the Middle East.'

'The occupation is what is causing instability in Iraq,' he said in remarks widely carried by the press at the time. 'The exit of the occupier will be a victory for Iraq, and not, as it is said, a victory for the terrorists.'