U.S. says Syria agrees to seal border with Iraq

WASHINGTON - Syria agreed in talks with U.S. and Iraqi officials to take "specific steps" to seal off its border with Iraq for anti-U.S. insurgents, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

In Damascus, a source close to the two-day talks which ended in the Syrian capital on Wednesday, said the sides discussed the possibility of forming joint patrols to monitor the border, but it was not immediately clear if an agreement had been reached on that.

"The Syrians did agree to take specific actions in coordination with Iraqi and multinational forces. These steps are designed to close Syria's border to individuals seeking to foment violence and destabilize Iraq," State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said.

"It is essential now that these steps be translated into action on the ground, and we will measure the Syrian commitment to the stability of Iraq by the concrete steps that it takes," he added.

Syrian officials had no immediate comment on the talks.

U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Syria of failing to do enough to keep anti-U.S. militants crossing its border into Iraq, where it keeps 140,000 troops.

Traditionally strained U.S.-Syrian relations hit a new low earlier this year when Washington slapped economic sanctions on Damascus for its alleged support of terrorism and accused Syria of failing to stop anti-U.S. guerrillas from entering Iraq.

But U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said earlier this month that Syria had shown a new readiness to work with U.S.-led forces to stop arms, militants and money from crossing into Iraq and fuelling insurgency.

Boucher said he could not outline the specific details of these steps.

"We do have fairly concrete understandings, particularly between the Iraqi government and the Syrian government, on things like communications activities, how they can deploy forces, how they can move together to cut off the border traffic," he added.

In Damascus, a source close to the talks said the talks, "tackled the possibility of forming joint border patrols to maximize the efficiency of border monitoring". But the source did not say if this was agreed during two days of talks in Damascus.

Powell, speaking after he met with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara in New York earlier this month, said he sensed "a new attitude from the Syrians".

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told a senior state department official in Damascus earlier this month that Damascus attached "great importance" to helping the Iraqi people restore their stability and preserve their national unity.

Iraqi interior minister said earlier this month that Damascus was cooperating in the drive to secure the frontier.