Accusing Syria of killing Iraqis “immoral” – Assad

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday that accusations by the Iraqi government that Damascus is involved in attacks inside Iraqi territories are “immoral,” given the fact that “Syria is hosting 1.2 million Iraqis on its lands”. Assad’s remarks were the latest salvo in an escalating war of words between the two neighbors since Iraqi officials accused Syria of complicity in a spike of militant attacks in Iraq. “When Syria is accused of killing Iraqis, while it is housing around 1.2 million Iraqis … this is considered an immoral accusation,” Assad told a joint news conference with visiting Cypriot President Demetris Christofias in Damascus. “When Syria is accused of supporting terrorism, while it has been fighting it for decades … this is a political accusation that follows no political logic. And when it is accused of terrorism without proof, it is outside any legal logic.” Iraq and Syria recalled their ambassadors last week after Baghdad demanded that Damascus hand over two alleged masterminds of bombings in Baghdad that killed almost 100 people, mainly at two government ministries. On Sunday, Iraq aired a confession from a suspected al Qaeda militant who accused Syrian intelligence agents of training foreign fighters like himself in a camp before sending them to fight in Iraq. Assad said Syria was still waiting for Iraq to send a delegation with documented evidence of the charges. Iran has called for talks among Iraq and its neighbors in the wake of the accusations, and Turkey’s foreign minister was to visit Iraq and Syria on Monday to try to soothe relations between the two. On Sunday (Aug. 30), a legislator from the Sadrist bloc, or Iraqis loyal to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, urged the parliament speakership board to form a delegation from the security & defense and foreign relations committees to visit Damascus. “I call on the Iraqi Parliament to set up a delegation for Syria to clear the air between the two sides and get to know about the final position from the Syrians regarding extradition of wanted persons,” Zaynab al-Kenani told Iraqi News. The Iraqi government had recalled its ambassador to Syria and called on the Syrian government to hand over leading members of the former Baath Party on charges of involvement in the bombing attacks that rocked Baghdad on Aug. 19 and targeted the foreign and finance ministries. The Syrian government replied by recalling its ambassador to Iraq, criticizing the accusations that the masterminds of attacks in Iraq are starting their schemes from Syria. Kenani urged the Syrians to “cooperate with the Iraqi government on the issue of activating international agreements the two countries had signed regarding good neighborliness and joint border security.” On Aug. 19,? a series of bombing attacks targeted the buildings of the Iraqi ministries of finance and foreign affairs as well as other areas. According to official sources, the blasts left 82 people killed and 1203 others wounded. AmR (I) 1