Syrian Premier in Iraq on First Such Visit in 20 Years

10/04/2001| IslamWeb

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Islamweb & News Agencies)- Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa Miro arrived in Baghdad on Saturday, becoming only the second Arab head of government to visit Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War. (Read photo caption below)
Arriving at the airport named after President Saddam Hussein, Miro said he expected to sign an agreement to boost trade and cultural cooperation, the official Iraqi News Agency reported.
He also called for the lifting of U.N. sanctions maintained against Iraq since its invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the agency said.
Later Saturday, Miro met Saddam and other Iraqi officials. INA said Saddam told his guest that ``the enemies will keep on working on harming the Arab nations because they know what the relations between our countries mean.''
He did not name those enemies, but that is usually a reference to the United States and Britain. There were no other details on the discussions.
One issue likely to be on the agenda of Miro's talks with his Iraqi counterpart is an oil pipeline running from Iraq to Syria's Mediterranean coast.
Reports that Iraq was using the recently restored pipeline to export more than 100,000 barrels of crude a day have aroused U.S. concerns. Under U.N. Security Council resolutions, all Iraqi oil exports have to be approved by the world body.
Syria has said the pipeline was used only for a test run in November.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, during a visit to the Middle East, broached the subject with Syrian President Bashar Assad and later reported that Syria had agreed to submit the pipeline's operations to the U.N. Sanctions Committee.
Miro, who is expected to spend several days in Baghdad, is the first Syrian prime minister to visit Iraq in about 20 years.
Ruled by rival factions of the Baath party, the two countries severed relations after Syria sided with Iran during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
Relations further deteriorated when Syria participated in the U.S.-led coalition that defeated Iraq in the Gulf War.
But they reopened their border in 1997, and relations have improved further under Syrian President Bashar Assad, who took office in July 2000.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Mr Miro was met at Saddam International Airport by Iraqi Vice-President, Taha Yassein Ramadan, and a guard of honour. The prime minister is accompanied by a delegation of ministers and businessmen.