Syria Sends First Plane to Iraq in Two DecadesFollowing the lead of other Arab countries, Syria on Sunday flew a plane to sanction-stricken Iraq, the first in 20 years.The Airbus 320 passenger plane touched down at Saddam International Airport in the western suburb of Baghdad at 12:10 (0910 GMT), to show solidarity with the Iraqi people. Syrian State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Mufdi Sifo, heading a 36-member delegation including doctors, humanitarian organization members, journalists and businessmen, was on aboard the plane. Upon his arrival, Mufdi called for unified Arab action for lifting the sanctions on Iraq and ending the suffering of the Iraqi people who have been hardest hit by the sanctions. Iraqi Trade Minister Mohammad Mehdi Salah, who greeted the Syrian delegation at the airport, appreciated the flight as "a positive step" and expressed the belief that the visit will surely promote bilateral relations. Syria and Iraq severed diplomatic ties in August 1980 when Damascus sided with its traditional ally Iran before the eight-year Iran-Iraq war erupted. They have been normalizing relations since 1997. Syrian Transport Minister Makram Ebeid visited Iraq in September to promote bilateral trade ties. Russia, France, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen have all sent planes to Iraq in defiance of the air embargo pursued by the U.S. and Britain. |
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