Foreign minister of Iran, Kamal Kharazzi, right, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa, center, and Saudi Prince Saud al-Faisal, shortly before joining on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2003 the final session of a two-day meeting in Damascus of foreign minsters of Iraq's neighbors that aimed at discussing the impact of the U.S.-led war on neighboring countries. (AP Photo Bassem Tella
Iraq's Neighbors Call for Border Control
By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer
DAMASCUS, Syria - Arab, Iranian and Turkish foreign ministers condemned terrorist bombings in Iraq and called on Iraqi officials to cooperate on border control Sunday after talks on the Iraqi crisis — which Baghdad's interim authority boycotted.
But the foreign ministers of Iraq's neighbors — including Syria and Iran — did not directly address U.S. and Iraqi calls for greater action to stop fighters crossing their countries' borders into Iraq.
L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq, said Sunday that those fighters were taking part in deadly and escalating attacks on U.S. forces.
"What we need in the case of the Syrian border is much better cooperation from the Syrian government in stopping these people on their side," he told CNN. The same message, he added, applies to Iran.
Also participating in the two days of talks in Damascus were the foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan — all bordering Iraq — and politically influential Egypt. The nations, including both opponents and supporters of the U.S.-led war, have been concerned about the far-reaching regional consequences of the U.S. occupation and a pro-American government in Baghdad.
The ministers expressed support for Baghdad's U.S.-appointed interim administration, welcoming the body to join in future talks.
The next meeting was set for Kuwait, but no date was given. Iraq's U.S.-appointed Government Council snubbed the meeting, apparently offended by two last-minute invitations that Iraq's foreign minister called "vague."
In refusing the invitations — made only the night before the talks began — Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari also said the Governing Council would reject any decisions taken by the meeting.
The council had wanted to use the Damascus meeting to demand an end to cross-border infiltration and to urge neighbors to provide information on former Saddam Hussein loyalists who may be hiding in their countries.
Iraq shares a long border of desert terrain, mountains and rivers with Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait and Iran.
The meeting came amid continued violence in Iraq, where insurgents downed a U.S. transport helicopter Sunday with a missile strike, killing 15 soldiers and wounding 21 in the bloodiest single attack on American forces since the start of war.
In the ministers' final communique, read to journalists by Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa, made no direct reference to cross-border infiltration.
Instead, the ministers expressed concern about the presence of terrorist groups in Iraq and the possibility that they might cross into their own countries. They also condemned terror attacks in Iraq aimed at civilians, humanitarian and religious institutions, international organizations and diplomatic missions.
On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi acknowledged cross-border infiltration into Iraq and said Iraq's neighbors wanted to promote security there and control their own borders. But the ministers rejected "any accusations against their countries of interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq."
The United States has accused Iran, particularly, of meddling in Iraq's internal affairs. Kharrazi told Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency that such claims are made "by those who were trying to justify their failures in Iraq."
The communique urged U.S.-led occupation forces to restore security and stability to the country in accordance with their responsibilities under U.N. Security Council resolutions and international law.
But there was no reference in the final communique to the issue of military participation by Iraq's neighbors in a stabilization force, which many Iraqis oppose.
Turkey has offered to send 10,000 troops to Iraq, but deployment is increasingly uncertain amid strong opposition by many Iraqis and some neighboring countries.
The ministers stressed the need to preserve Iraq's sovereignty and independence. They also called for strengthening the United Nations' role, particularly in drafting a new Iraqi constitution, holding elections and drawing up a timetable to end the U.S.-led occupation.