One of Iraq's most powerful political clerics made a rare trip abroad to Syria for talks on the deadlocked government in Baghdad, according to AP. Muqtada al-Sadr, who resides primarily in Iran, met with Syrian President Bashar Assad on Saturday for talks on the political situation in Iraq. Al-Sadr's bloc of 39 seats makes him a key player in Iraq's politics where political factions have spent the last four months trying to form a government after inconclusive elections. Assad urged Iraqi parties to put aside their differences and form a government swiftly to avoid «negative developments.» -- SPA
