国际英语新闻:Iraqi FM says Qaida militants crossing border to Syria

BAGHDAD, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Thursday that members of al-Qaida militant group have crossed border to Syria to carry out terrorist attacks.

"Yes indeed, we have solid information and intelligence that members of al-Qaida terrorist network have gone in the other direction to Syria to help and to liaise to carry out terrorist attacks," Zebari told reporters at a news conference here.

He said that Iraq has previously warned the Syrian regime that extremist militants were crossing borders to Iraq to carry out deadly attack, but "now their direction is the other way round."

"This is a fact that the extremist groups have an important role in the level of violence that is going on (in Syria)," Zebari added.

Another main concern in Iraq toward Syria's unrest is the spillover of extremist groups that could take route to neighboring countries, Zebari said. Zebari's comments came after his return to Baghdad following his participation in a meeting over Syria's crisis in Geneva of the so- called Action Group, which includes the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and four Middle-East states.

Zebari confirmed his country's long-standing position toward Syria's issue, which is built on supporting the political and democratic change in violence-shattered country.

Iraq's Shiite-dominated government has maintained close ties with Syria, whose President Bashar al-Assad is a member of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.