Syria hopeful over outcome of meeting

Syria is relatively hopeful an international meeting aimed at stabilising Iraq will succeed, but much depends on the attitude of the US, Vice-President Farouq al-Shara was quoted yesterday as saying.“I am optimistic, but in a measured fashion,” Shara told Le Monde newspaper in an interview.
“The Baghdad meeting is a good thing, even if it is coming a bit late. It should have been held two years ago,” he said. “Much depends on what the American administration has in its head.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has invited neighbouring countries, including Syria and Iran, along with the US and other world powers, to the meeting on March 10.