Iraq (Syria-Report‪)‬

Syria, Iraq Agree to Normalize Ties after Tense Record Syria and Iraq have agreed to restore full diplomatic relations in a move reflecting the two neighbors' determination to improve ties despite a history of mutual distrust and political feud. The decision, announced by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on September 24, comes little more than a year after the two countries recalled their ambassadors when Baghdad accused Damascus of sheltering the masterminds behind devastating truck bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital. The two countries' tit-for-tat recall of envoys on August 25, 2009 came days after bloody violence against the ministries of finance and foreign affairs in Baghdad left 95 dead and around 600 wounded, the worst day of violence in Iraq in 18 months. Iraq asked Syria to hand over Iraqi Baathists who orchestrated the attacks. Syria rejected this demand, saying that they were merely refugees fleeing the poor security situation in Iraq.