DAMASCUS, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- A senior Syrian official reasserted on Saturday his country's support to the political process and reconciliation in neighboring Iraq, the official SANA news agency reported.

    Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad made the pledge in a lecture on Syria's Foreign Policy and the Current Challenges at the Damascus University.

    Mekdad noted that Syria opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and supported the efforts to enable all ranks of the Iraqis to maintain the national unity.

    He also talked about the recent restoration of diplomatic ties between Syria and Iraq, which he said aimed at backing the Iraqi people against the current challenges, helping realize a foreign troops withdrawal and stopping terrorism.

    Syria and Iraq agreed to normalize ties on Nov. 21, ending a quarter century's rupture between the two neighbors since the1980s when Damascus sided with Tehran in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.