Damascus, December 19: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad underlined on Thursday his commitment to stability in Iraq as he met with the head of Iraq’s largest Shiite party, Ammar al-Hakim, state news agency SANA reported.
Assad assured the leader of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council of Syria’s “permanent commitment to security and stability in Iraq and its support for the country’s political process with the participation of all Iraqi parties.”
Hakim expressed his appreciation for Syria “standing by the Iraqi people and supporting all efforts to preserve Iraq’s unity, security and stability.”
Iraqi officials have accused Syria of assisting Iraqi insurgents, especially those loyal to former president Saddam Hussein.
The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 is viewed by critics as an ‘act of aggression’ that violated international law.
Subsequent US occupation policies caused the country to descend into almost total chaos, bordering on civil war.
An estimated 1.3 million Iraqis have been killed in Iraq as a direct result of the invasion, while millions more have fled the country.
Syria currently hosts some 1.5 million Iraqi refugees.
—Agencies