Hashimi courts Damascus ahead of vote

DAMASCUS, Syria, March 3 (UPI) -- Syrian leaders said in Damascus that they hoped to develop a constructive relationship with whatever new government emerges from Sunday's Iraqi elections.

Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni, met with Syrian leaders in Damascus to express his "great appreciation" for the support of displaced Iraqis, the official Syrian Arab News Agency reports.

Hashimi, who met with Syrian President Bashar Assad, described his visit to Damascus as "constructive and useful."

Bilateral ties were upended in 2009 following a spate of suicide bombings targeting government buildings in downtown Baghdad in August, killing hundreds. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed Baath Party loyalists in Syria for plotting the attacks.

Hashimi, the SANA report said, expressed hope that Baghdad's relationship with Damascus could return to the status that existed before the 2009 bombings.

"We believe that we have a solid ground for building a promising future of bilateral relations," he added.

There are roughly 1.5 million Iraqi refugees living in Syria who are expected to vote in Iraq's parliamentary elections Sunday.

Assad said he hoped the elections "would constitute the main basis for restoring peace and stability in Iraq and for realizing national accord among all segments of its people," SANA reported.