Iraq And Syria Restore Ties

File under: Not exactly what Bush was aiming for.

Iraq and Syria agreed to restore full diplomatic relations on Tuesday after a break of nearly a quarter of a century, a move Iraq hopes may help stem what it says is Syrian support for militants.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem, making the first visit by a Syrian minister to Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, signed an accord with Iraqi counterpart Hoshiyar Zebari in which they agreed U.S. troops should stay in Iraq for now.

Moualem had earlier called for the setting of a timetable for the withdrawal of 140,000 U.S. troops. The document contained wording used by the Iraqi and U.S. governments, saying troops should gradually withdraw once they were not needed.

Amid calls for President George W. Bush to open talks with U.S. adversaries Syria and Iran to help stabilise Iraq, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is also flying to Tehran on Saturday. Washington and Iraqi leaders accuse Iran of backing Shi'ite militia groups and Syria of helping Sunni insurgents.

How far either foreign government can limit mounting sectarian violence in Iraq is unclear, as hundreds of deaths a week fuel fear and hatred at the heart of Iraqi society.

This may not produce fruitful results, but it becomes more and more clear the US can't solve Iraq's problems.

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