Middle East News
Iraqi premier to visit Syria for talks on political deadlock
Oct 13, 2010, 10:41 GMT
Baghdad - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is to travel to Damascus on Wednesday for talks with Syrian President Bashar al- Assad on the political stalemate in Baghdad, the state-run Iraqiya broadcaster reported.
The visit will be al-Maliki's first since Iraq's March 7 elections, which failed to produce an outright winner, or consensus on a new government.
Prominent Iraqi politicians, including former prime minister Iyad Allawi - al-Maliki's rival - have recently visited Syria to discuss the political stalemate with regional powerbroker al-Assad.
Iraq and Syria recently restored full diplomatic relations, after decades of strained relations. Last week, Baghdad reinstated its ambassador to Damascus, a year after a row that centred around allegations by al-Maliki that Syria was allowing terrorists to cross into Iraq to carry out bombings.
Al-Maliki is also expected to visit Iran and Jordan following his trip to Syria, according to Iraqi television.
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