Syria seals its borders to Iraqis and calls for dialogue with US

SYRIA said it wanted a “serious and constructive dialogue” with Washington and welcomed remarks by US President George W Bush in which he noted Damascus was heeding US calls for cooperation.

“We welcome the statement of President Bush and hope that this statement marks the beginning of a serious and constructive dialogue,” Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara said yesterday. “We in Syria do not like argument...we are for dialogue.”

On Sunday, Mr Bush said Damascus was “getting the message” that it should deny sanctuary to fleeing members of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s government, one of the issues that fuelled tensions between Syria and the United States in recent weeks.

Mr Shara said Syria has sealed its borders to Iraqis and required them to apply for visas.

Before the war, Iraqis, like all fellow Arabs, were allowed to frequent Syria without visas.