MOSCOW, March 14 (RIA Novosti) - The foreign ministers of Russia and Syria Tuesday discussed current problems in the Middle East, highlighting the deteriorating security situation in Iraq and the need to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
"We are very concerned about the deteriorating situation in Iraq," Sergei Lavrov said after a meeting with Walid Mualem. "We are positive that starting a dialogue to promote national reconciliation and peace is the most important thing at the moment."
Russia and the League of Arab States say insurgents in Iraq should be invited to participate in a dialogue to end the attacks that have torn the country apart since a U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003.
Lavrov said Russia and Syria backed Iraqi efforts to gain full control of the country, adding that foreign support could be of assistance, especially from neighboring countries, the Arab League, and the UN Security Council.
Syria's problematic relationship with Lebanon should be discussed in the context of all Security Council resolutions and Syrian-Lebanese bilateral agreements, Lavrov said
Resolution 1559, designed by the Security Council as "an attempt to discourage Syrian meddling in Lebanon," stipulates the disarmament of all militant groups and militia active in Lebanon following Syrian troops' withdrawal from the country.
Mualem pledged cooperation with a UN commission investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, killed in a truck bombing February 14, 2005. Intense international pressure following Hariri's death prompted Syria to withdraw troops that had been deployed in the country for nearly 30 years.
The UN commission has recommended the arrest of four senior security officials in Damascus and implicated officials in Beirut. Syria has strongly denied any involvement in the killing.
"My colleague gave assurances that cooperation [with the commission] would continue," Lavrov said, adding that Syria, accused by some countries of supporting and controlling the Hizbullah terrorist group, and Russia would take steps to control the movement of weapons in the region.
Both ministers stressed the need to engage Hamas in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, stalled since the radical Islamic movement came to power in January 25 parliamentary elections. Lavrov said Russia and Syria were trying to persuade Hamas to meet previous Palestinian leaders' agreements with Israel and resume the political process under the "road map" peace plan proposed by the "quartet" of international mediators comprising the UN, EU, U.S., and Russia.
Russia hosted a Hamas delegation in Moscow earlier this year, triggering an angry reaction in some quarters in Israel and the West. Unlike many Western countries, Russia does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
The Moscow visit is Mualem's first official trip abroad since he took the post on February 11, 2006.
Bilateral relations have noticeably improved since Syrian President Bashar Assad's visit to Moscow early last year, when Russia agreed to write off 73% of Syria's Cold War debt of about $13.5 billion and reschedule repayment of the remainder.
In December 2005, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction of a $2.7-billion oil refinery and a petrochemical complex in a province 270 miles north of the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Russia and Syria also concluded a deal on deliveries of a sophisticated missile system to Syria, despite protests from Israel, which was concerned that the weapons could fall into the hands of extremist organizations.
