Though six Iraqi neighbors voiced support to the interim Iraqi government at a Cairo gathering Wednesday, Iraq is still worried about the control of its borders with them.

Prime Minister Iyad Allawi on Monday embarked on his maiden Mideast trip since his appointment early last month with an aim to open a "new chapter" in Iraq's relations with its neighbors.

Some Iraqis hailed the results of Allawi's visit with great relief, while others were suspicious of countries, such as Iran and Syria, which were accused by Foreign Minister Hoshiar al-Zibari of not exerting enough efforts to stop border infiltration.

In a statement before the Cairo ministerial meeting, Zibari called on neighboring countries to take tangible steps to support Iraq, not only by words.

He warned that terror may be epidemic if they do not act on it.

Zibari's warning came after a more tough one by Defense Minister Hazim Shaalan who said that Iraq is capable of transporting terror to neighboring territories if they do not stop support to insurgents.

He pointed finger at Iran in particular, blaming it for meddling in its border area.

"The Iranian expansion is wide and unprecedented. Iranians entered the vital Iraqi governmental institutions and were able to establish intelligence and security centers in Iraq," he said.

Allawi softened the tone during his visit to Jordan, emphasizing the importance of dialogue with neighbors in this regard.

As for Syria, Adnan al-Asdi, undersecretary of the Iraqi interior ministry, said after a visit to Damascus that the Syrian government had expressed readiness to cooperate in controlling the border, but he pointed out that there was no steps on the ground so far.

Observers believe that countries which are afraid of being the next US target will may be worldly wise and make themselves safe first.

Kuwait, the small Iraqi neighbor in the south, fears a change of the US foreign policy in the region may give it a cold shoulder.

Saudi Arabia seems to be preoccupied with its own security problems, fighting arduously against terrorist elements suspected linked to Osama bin Laden.

Turkey and Syria are worried about a proposed federal system that would meet the political aspirations of Iraq's ethnic groups, such as the Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south.

Turkey, which fought a 15-year war with Kurdish rebels in the southeastern region, fears that a Kurdish federal province could incite some 12 million Kurdish Turks to push for autonomy.

Syria, which has a sizable Kurdish population, shares similar fears. 

(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2004)