Iraq and Syria announced on Tuesday that they signed an agreement to restore complete diplomatic ties.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem paid the first visit by a Syrian minister to Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The agreement to reopen their embassies in Damascus and Baghdad comes amidst mounting calls for US President George W. Bush to open talks with US adversaries Syria and Iran as part of a change of course in Iraq.

US and Iraqi officials accuse Teheran of backing Shi'ite militias and Syria of supporting Sunni insurgents. Many complain that Syria is doing little to seal its border to stem the flow of foreign Islamist fighters.

How far either foreign government can limit mounting sectarian violence in Iraq is unclear, as hundreds of deaths a week fuel fear and hatred at the heart of Iraqi society.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan Tuesday urged Iran and Syria to be "part of the solution" in Iraq and said he had spoken to both Assad and Ahmadinejad in recent days to urge them to help de-escalate the conflict.

Iraq ordered Syrian diplomats out after raiding the embassy in 1980. The two countries, then ruled by rival wings of the Arab nationalist Ba'ath party, severed all ties in 1982, when Syria sided with Iran in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war.

The two governments agreed to restore full diplomatic ties, reopening their embassies in Damascus and Baghdad. An agreement in principle had been struck some months ago with ambassadors with full rank to be named shortly along with flags raised over embassies.

"We hope to follow this step with real and practical procedures so we can have an official channel for continuous dialogue," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said at a joint news conference with Moualem.

Iraq has announced the likely creation of a joint security committee with Syria and work to improve trade.

In the document, Syria and Iraq agreed on the need for US-led forces to stay in Iraq until their presence is no longer essential, at which point a gradual withdrawal will ensue.

(China Daily November 22, 2006)