SYRIA: Iraqi vice president in Damascus on official visit

Record ID: 279940

  • Title: SYRIA: Iraqi vice president in Damascus on official visit
  • Date: 28th September 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ADEL ABDUL MAHDI, IRAQI VICE-PRESIDENT, SAYING: "There were difficult circumstances in Iraq, there are regional and international issues involved. But thankfully we truly can overcome these obstacles. My visit comes after that of the (Iraqi) president, the prime minister and a large number of officials, and all issues are being handled well."
  • Embargoed: 13th October 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA7BLQUR0DH04UGIILCUNDGNP16
  • Story Text: Iraq's vice president arrives in Damascus for an official visit expected to address the Iraqi refugee crisis.
    Iraq's Vice-President Adel Abdul Mahdi arrived in Damascus on Thursday (September 27) on a three-day visit expected to address Iraqi refugee issues.
    Abdul Mahdi was greeted at the airport by his Syrian counterpart Farouq al-Shara, and is due to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian Prime Minister Naji al-Otari during his visit.
    Abdul Mahdi had postponed his visit to Damascus twice in the past, citing difficult security conditions in Iraq.
    "There were difficult circumstances in Iraq, there are regional and international issues involved. But thankfully we truly can overcome these obstacles. My visit comes after that of the (Iraqi) president, the prime minister and a large number of officials, and all issues are being handled well," he told journalists at Damascus airport.
    The Iraqi refugees crisis is expected to be the core of Abdul Mahdi's discussions in Damascus.
    Syria alone has taken in an estimated 1.5 million Iraqis escaping the chaos that has engulfed their homeland since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
    Hundreds of thousands more are in Jordan and other nearby countries. The influx of refugees has placed a burden on the infrastructure of host countries, with Syria bearing the brunt of the burden.
    The Syrian government has imposed new visa requirements on Iraqis wishing to enter Syria, requesting prospective refugees to provide Syrian entry permits obtained in the Syrian embassy in Baghdad.
    Some 4.2 million Iraqis have fled their homes since 2003, and, according to one estimate, 2,000 Iraqis continue to do so every day.
    Abdul Mahdi's visit to Damascus is a part of an Arab tour that includes Jordan and Egypt.
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