Syria urges Iraq to push US withdrawal timetable

Syria urged Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Monday to create a timetable for foreign troop withdrawal during the embattled Iraqi leader's first official visit here as part of his attempt seek help in stemming the violence that has ravaged his country. During talks with al-Maliki, Syrian Prime Minister Naji Ottri accused US coalition forces of being the most responsible for the security deterioration in Iraq and said their withdrawal was key to national reconciliation. The presence of occupation forces in Iraq has "brought radical forces and inflamed the cycle of violence," Syria's official news agency SANA quoted Ottri as saying.