Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president, has arrived in Damascus for talks with Bashar al-Assad, his Syrian counterpart, in what will be the first meeting between the leaders of the two neighbouring countries for nearly 25 years.

Talabani's visit comes after George Bush, the US president, accused Syria of supporting Sunni fighters in Iraq.

"The aim of the visit is to evaluate and strengthen mutual relations for the benefit of both the countries," a statement from Talabani's office said.

 

The neighbours restored diplomatic ties in November during a visit by Walid Muallem, the Syrian foreign minister, who vowed to help secure Iraq.

In December, they reopened their embassies in each other's capitals.

 

Weapons supplies

On Friday, an official from Talabani's office said the Iraqi president and al-Assad are expected to sign a number of agreements related to bilateral security and commercial matters.

"The enmity between the United States and Syria and Iran doesn't benefit the situation in Iraq" Mahmoud Othman, Iraqi politician

US and Iraqi officials have repeatedly accused of Syria of failing to prevent Sunni fighters from entering Iraq.

 

Syria denies the charge and says that the Iraqis and US forces are not doing enough to guard their side of the border.

When outlining a new strategy for Iraq on Wednesday, Bush vowed military action to disrupt supplies of weapons coming into Iraq from Syria and Iran.

"The timing may seem a little tricky after what Bush said," Mahmoud Othman, a prominent Iraqi politician with close ties to Talabani, told Associated Press.

 

"But our interests differ from those of the United States. The enmity between the United States and Syria and Iran doesn't benefit the situation in Iraq."

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The visit has been planned for nearly a year and its date was finalised about two weeks ago, he said.

Engaging with Iraq could offer Assad's government an opportunity to ease its relative isolation in the region.

"Syria can play a constructive role in Iraq, but not necessarily a decisive one," Rami Khouri, a Beirut-based Middle East expert, told The Associated Press.

 

"What Syria can and cannot do will not decide the future of Iraq, but it can help."