Iraq and Syria agree to restore full diplomatic relations

AFP - Iraq and Syria have agreed to restore full diplomatic relations by dispatching their respective ambassadors back to their posts, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told AFP on Friday.

"I met the Syrian foreign minister to inform him that the Iraqi government has decided to restore full diplomatic relations by sending back our ambassador to Damascus," Zebari said by telephone from New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

"The Syrian side welcomed that and agreed to send their ambassador to Baghdad as soon as possible."

Iraq and Syria recalled their envoys on August 25, 2009, amid a diplomatic row sparked by Iraqi accusations that Damascus was sheltering insurgents who orchestrated massive truck bombings in Baghdad.

That flap threw into disarray extensive efforts made in the previous years to boost ties, which had been weak under former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.