Syria's al-Assad meets Iraqi elections challenger as voting starts

Mar 4, 2010, 16:32 GMT

Damascus - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday met with former Iraqi prime minister and candidate in the Iraqi parliamentary elections Ayad Allawi, as early voting began in the Iraqi polls.

The meeting came as Iraq's relations with Syria and other neighbours became an issue in the Iraqi elections.

Al-Assad extended his 'best wishes for the electoral process in Iraq,' and said that he hoped they would serve 'peace and security in Iraq,' and 'reconciliation and unity among the Iraqi people ... and the region,' in a statement released by his office after the meeting.

Early voting by members of Iraq's security services and hospital workersbegan earlier in the day. General voting is scheduled to begin on Sunday.

Allawi, who as the head the Iraqi List, is among Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's leading challengers, outlined his campaign platform in meetings with representatives of Syria's 800,000-strong Iraqi population.

He also discussed the polls with Syrian officials, Ahmed al- Dulaimi, a spokesman for his party, told the German Press Agency dpa.

The former prime minister last week defended his recent tour of Arab states against criticism from members of al-Maliki's State of Law coalition, who accused Allawi of seeking funds for his election campaign.

'Some of those in power wanted to make a fuss over my trip to Arab countries,' Allawi said, calling suggestions the trip was related to the elections the product of 'deluded minds.'

'These deluded (people) want to isolate Iraq from its Arab surroundings,' Allawi said.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Sunni Vice-President Tariq al- Hashimi and Shiite Iraqi Vice-President Adil Abdel-Mahdi all publicly rebuked al-Maliki after the prime minister accused Syria of not doing enough to stop Iraqi Baathists in Syria from plotting August bombings in central Baghdad that killed more some 100 people and injured more than 500.

Syria and Iraq each withdrew their ambassadors to the other as al- Maliki's government called for a UN investigation into Syrian links to the explosions.

By contrast, al-Maliki on earlier this week said Iraq's relationship with Syria was 'heading for the better.'

'As the atmosphere improves, there is less need to talk about international courts. There are more shared interests to bring the two countries closer than there are reasons for souring the relationship,' he said.

'We welcome a return of good relations between all Arab and Islamic countries and the efforts in that direction since stability has been achieved,' al-Maliki said Sunday.