Iraqi & Syrian leaders meet

CAIRO: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met on Thursday in Qatar with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the first encounter between the two.

The meeting was brokered by Qatar, with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani present. It came ahead of Sharaa’s expected attendance at the Arab Summit in Baghdad on May 17.

During Thursday’s meeting, al-Sudani called for the comprehensive political process and the protection of

diversity in Syria.