Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki reviews the honour guard with his Syrian counterpart Mohammed Naji Otri (L) at the airport in Damascus. [Photo: AFP]

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki arrived in Damascus on Monday morning for his first official visit since taking office last year.

Maliki, accompanied by an official and technical delegation, is due to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, his deputy Farouk al-Shara and Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Ottri.

The current security and political situation in Iraq and economic cooperation were expected to highlight bilateral talks and the file of Iraqi refugees in Syria would be also discussed.

The two neighbors restored diplomatic relations last November after a quarter century's rupture during former Iraqi regime of president Saddam Hussein.

Syria and Iraq severed diplomatic ties as Damascus sided with Tehran during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

Syria, which strongly objected the U.S.-led invasion against Iraq, has been accused by Washington of doing little to stop anti- U.S. militants and weapons from infiltrating into Iraq, an allegation denied by Damascus.

Up until now, Syria is hosting more than 1.5 million Iraqi refugees who fled the turbulences in their homeland after the invasion broke out in 2003.