ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The foreign ministers of Iraq, Syria, and Iran met in Baghdad on Friday to discuss the latest developments in Syria and their possible impact on the region. “We discussed in detail the dangerous situation and its impact on other countries and neighboring countries, especially on Iraq,” Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in a joint press conference with his Iranian and Syrian counterparts. “The security of Syria is definitely related to the security of the region,” he added. Hussein announced that they will attempt to hold an international meeting in Baghdad about the Syrian situation. Syrian rebel forces took control of Aleppo and Hama in a surprise offensive launched last week and are now marching towards Homs, which is only 162 kilometres from Damascus. The Syrian army has largely withdrawn in the face of the rapid rebel advance. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed the latest attacks by rebels against the Syrian regime were part of a plot by the United States and Israel. “The first message is to support the Syrian government and people in their fight against the extremist terrorist groups who are undoubtedly carrying out these attacks as part of an American-Zionist conspiracy. If anyone ignores the role of the Zionists in designing this conspiracy, they are wrong,” he said. Araghchi expressed Tehran’s unwavering support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying that Iran has always supported Syria and will do whatever is asked of them. He also warned of the regional repercussions if the rebels were to succeed. “The threats of terrorism in Syria will not be limited to Syria, but will be a threat to all its neighbors and the region. If Syria becomes safe for terrorists, the return of ISIS [Islamic State] and other terrorist groups will create major threats to the region,” he said. Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam al-Sabbagh said that he briefed his Iranian and Iraqi counterparts on the latest developments in the field, security threats and humanitarian conditions. He also said that the goal of foreign interventions in Syria is “a new division of the region and redrawing of its political map.” ISIS has taken advantage of the situation to expand its territory in the central and eastern deserts where the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and international allies are working to recapture lost ground. The SDF have also moved into areas in Deir ez-Zor province that the regime quit, including on the border with Iraq. Border security is a major concern for Iraq, which shares a nearly 600-kilometre border with Syria. Thousands of soldiers from the Iraqi armed forces, including the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), along with border police, have been deployed along the border in Anbar province. “The situation is calm at the border and the military units are on high alert. I want to assure the Iraqi people that everything is under control,” Thabet al-Abbasi, Iraq’s defense minister, told Rudaw on Monday. Hussein said in the press conference that all of Iraq’s forces are ready to protect the country. “This is the duty of the Iraqi armed forces, with all its components. I mean the Iraqi army, Hashd al-Shaabi [PMF], Peshmerga forces, and all other Iraqi security forces are ready to protect the border and the people of Iraq,” he said. The surge of violence in Syria has led to another wave of displacement of civilians after more than a decade of turmoil following the 2011 nationwide uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. More than 13 million Syrians, half the country’s pre-war population, have been displaced since the start of the civil war, more than six million of whom are refugees who have fled the war-torn country, according to United Nations figures.
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