SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Colin Powell met Tuesday with the Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara on Iraq's border security on the sidelines of an international conference on Iraq held here.

    Powell told reporters after the conclusion of the conference that their talk focused on how to better control the Syria-Iraqborders to prevent militant infiltration.

    The US-Syrian relations have been strained after the United States slapped economic sanctions on Damascus on charges that Syriawas state sponsoring terrorism and seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction, both denied by Syria.

    Syria was further angered by a United Nations Security Council resolution, jointly drafted by the United States and France, which called for a withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon and an endto foreign interference in Lebanon's internal affairs.Syria has about 14,000 troops in Lebanon and enjoys great political influence in the southern neighbor.

    The international conference on Iraq wrapped up here Tuesday with the participants vowing to help facilitate the political process in the war-torn country.

    The meeting, which opened earlier Tuesday in this Egyptian Red Sea resort, brought together representatives from over 20 countriesand organizations, including Iraq's neighboring countries, the Group of Eight (G8), China and the United Nations and the European Union. Enditem