Nujaifi denies plans for talks with Baathists in Syria

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi discredited reports about his planned talks with Baathist leaders in Syria during a visit to Damascus this week, according to a statement by his media office on Saturday. “The media office of Speaker Nujaifi denies mass media reports about expected talks between him and Baathist politicians and leaders of some armed factions in Syria during a visit he is to pay in the second half of this week to Syria at the head of a high-ranking parliamentary delegation,” read the statement as received by IraqiNews.com news agency. “Nujaifi’s visit aims to enhance parliamentary activities between the two neighboring countries,” it added. Asharq al-Awsat newspaper had said Nujaifi will visit the Syrian capital Damascus at the head of an 11-member delegation from the Iraqi Parliament representing different blocs to meet Iraqi opposition leaders there. AmR (TP)/SR 691