US: Iraq must stop weapons from flowing into Syria

Associated Press – Secretary of State John Kerry says Iraq must do more to stop weapons from flowing into and out of Syria for use against Iraqi citizens.

Kerry met Thursday with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. Kerry said that since he visited Baghdad in March, some progress has been made to stop Iraq from being a transit zone for weapons. But he says “very significant” progress has yet to be made.

So-called overflights have been a source of contention. Iraq and Iran claim the flights carry humanitarian goods. But American officials believe the planes are being used to arm the regime of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Kerry also raised concern about rising sectarian violence in Iraq nearly two years after the U.S. withdrawal.