"We have had concerns going back a number of years regarding the
infiltration of foreign influences from the region through Syria into Iraq,"
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.
Officials said the U.S. list contains dozens of AQI operatives as well
as suspected financiers from the former regime of Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein. They said Damascus has also allowed training of Iraqi Sunni
insurgents in Syria.
"Several similar requests in previous years [for a security dialogue]
were rejected by Syria because of the absence of the necessary political
will for such cooperation," the Syrian government daily Al Watan said.
Officials said the latest delegation was comprised of senior officials
including Frederick Hof, a representative of U.S. envoy George Mitchell and
cited as a candidate for ambassador to Damascus. The delegation was
headed by Maj. Gen. Michael Moeller from Central Command.
"I would expect that a significant topic of discussion will be, again,
ongoing efforts by Syria to help stabilize the situation in Iraq," State
Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.
"A significant topic of discussion will be, again, ongoing efforts by
Syria to help stabilize the situation in Iraq," Crowley said.
