Syria on Tuesday appointed a new ambassador to Iraq for the first time in nearly three decades after the two neighbors severed diplomatic ties during the 1980s.
Nawaf Abboud al-Sheikh Faris, a veteran politician who served as governor in three provinces during the past 15 years, was sworn in before Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the official SANA news agency reported.
But the report did not say when Faris would take his post in Iraq.
Syria and Iraq formally restored diplomatic ties in 2006 during a visit by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al- Muallem to Iraq, who pledged to help restore security in the war-torn country.
Syria has been accused of not doing enough to stop weapons and fighters from crossing into Iraq, a charge denied by Damascus.
The two countries cut their diplomatic ties during the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war in which Damascus sided with Tehran.