MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - Syria is ready to maintain dialogue on the situation in Iraq with all concerned parties, the Syrian leader said Tuesday.
Bashar al-Assad held talks in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin, which focused on the political crisis in Lebanon and tensions among Palestinian factions.
"We are open and ready for dialogue on the situation in the region, but we do not want to follow someone else's instructions," Assad told a news conference after the meeting.
A United States congressional report earlier recommended involving Syria in resolving the crisis in Iraq.
The report, released December 6 by the Iraq Study Group, which was chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton, includes a recommendation to engage Iran and Syria in diplomatic dialogue "without preconditions."
The Syrian leader said internal Iraqi dialogue is necessary to normalize the situation in the country, without external interference, but with the support of regional and world powers.
