Turkish FM arrives in Baghdad over Iraq-Syria tensions

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived in Baghdad on Monday on an official visit aimed to defuse tensions between Iraq and Syria after Baghdad's allegations that Damascus was harboring insurgents responsible for the latest truck bombings in Baghdad, the Iraqi official television reported.

Davutoglu is scheduled to meet with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in addition to his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari, the state-run television of Iraqia said.

The visiting foreign minister is expected to pay a similar visit to Damascus later to meet Syrian leaders in a bid to settle the latest dispute between the two neighboring countries.

Baghdad accused Damascus of sheltering Saddam Hussein's loyalists, including one who was allegedly behind one of the two deadly truck bombings that killed 95 people and wounded some 600 others on Aug. 19.

On Aug. 25, Iraq recalled its ambassador in Damascus, and Syria retaliated within hours by recalling its ambassador from Baghdad.