AL chief says it aimed to facilitate talks during neighbors’ meeting

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said that the league’s role during the New York-based meeting with Iraq’s neighbors has been confined to facilitating the talks between Iraq and Syria, ruling out a “mediating role” between the two countries. “Open discussions are taking place between the Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Moualem, and his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari, in the presence of the Arab League and the Turkish side,” Moussa said during a press conference at the UN headquarters, according to a UN statement received by Iraqi News. Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani has called on the United Nations to establish an independent international commission to probe a series of deadly blasts that rocked the country on August 19 and left 95 dead and more than 1,000 wounded persons. Iraq accused Baathist leaders, which it said are currently residing in Syria, of being behind the bombings. Moussa added that the Arab League has no right to tell Iraq not to bring up the issue at the world organization. A few days ago, foreign ministers from Iraq’s neighboring countries met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York SS (S) 1