DAMASCUS - Syria on Tuesday denied its soldiers had fired at Iraqi troops on border patrol to help infiltrators sneak into its western neighbour, warning that such charges aimed to sabotage the two countries' ties.
"We deny what the Iraqi defence ministry said about an exchange of fire across the border between Syrian and Iraqi forces last Friday," said the foreign ministry in Damascus.
"It's a totally unfounded allegation. We express our profound displeasure with these repeated accusations which aim to sabotage Syrian-Iraqi relations," it said in a statement.
It said that such allegations should stop "so as to preserve the interests of the two countries".
The defence ministry in Baghdad said Monday that "Syrian soldiers occupying a position opposite the Jabal post opened fire on our patrols to help a group of individuals infiltrate Iraq".
"Our patrol returned fire, forcing these individuals to flee towards Syrian territory," it added, without reporting any casualties.
Iraqi authorities have repeatedly accused Syrian intelligence of helping insurgents fighting the Baghdad government, but they have rarely specifically referred to border incidents.
State television in Iraq has broadcast alleged confessions by Iraqi rebels arrested in the north of the country saying they were trained in Syria, a charge Damascus has repeatedly denied.
The Baghdad government has protested to its neighbours about alleged infiltrations by foreign fighters.
04/26/2005 19:22 GMT