Iraqi president plans talks with Iran, Syria

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is expected to meet in the next few days with high-ranking officials from Iran and Syria, neighbors that the United States has blamed for many of Iraq's problems.

Talabani planned to travel this weekend to Tehran to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a spokesman said.

The Associated Press reported that Syrian President Bashar Assad will be in Tehran at the same time, but a Talabani spokesman said the Iraqi president does not plan to meet with anyone from the Syrian government during that trip.

Talabani planned to meet with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem early Tuesday in Iraq, according to a media spokesman for the Iraqi Parliamentary Council.

Moallem, the highest ranking Syrian official to visit Iraq since the U.S.-led war began in 2003, has been in Baghdad since Sunday.

He promised Monday to work for renewed economic and security ties with Iraq.

Moallem told Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that Syria supports Iraq's government of national unity. He said Syria condemns terrorism targeting Iraqi civilians and institutions and agreed to work with Iraq's new government to curb violence in Iraq -- a situation Moallem said presents a threat to the entire region.

"We want to be partners in terms of the profit and loss and to increase the coordination in the political and security aspects and to develop the economic cooperation between the two countries," Moallem said.

Neither leader provided specifics of how the two governments would cooperate. However, Moallem and al-Maliki announced their intention to begin talks on mutual security concerns and to work for resumption of financial, economic and information exchanges.

On Sunday, Moallem urged establishment of a timetable for a U.S. pullout.

"We believe that a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq will help in reducing violence and preserving security," he said at a news conference.

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