Syria says ready to cooperate in anti-terror fight

Reuters
Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem gestures as he addresses a news conference at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva January 31, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian government is ready to cooperate with international and regional efforts to fight terror but efforts must be coordinated with it, the Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday. Asked if Syria was ready to cooperate with the United States and Britain, he said: "They are welcome." Moualem, speaking at a news conference broadcast on Syrian state TV, also condemned the killing of U.S. journalist James Foley, who was executed by Islamic State, the militant group that has seized wide areas of Iraq and Syria. (Reporting by Mariam Karouny; Editing by Louise Ireland)