US Envoy in Turkey for Talks on Iraqi Elections

  02 January 2005

A top U.S. diplomat is in Turkey for talks on the situation in neighboring Iraq as it prepares for elections January 30th.

Outgoing Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was slated to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as well as top lawmakers and Turkey's army chief-of-staff.

Earlier Sunday, in Syria, Mr. Armitage said Damascus has improved security along its border with Iraq. But he also urged Syrian leaders to do more, and repeated U.S. claims that members of Saddam Hussein's ousted regime are "going back and forth from Syria" into Iraq.

The U.S. envoy spoke after meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Mr. Armitage visited northern Iraq on Saturday, and will also visit Jordan before returning home early this week.

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