Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi arrived in Damascus Friday for a two-day official visit on the third leg of his maiden Middle East tour.

Allawi was received by Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri at the airport where he was welcomed by a red carpet and honor guard.

Allawi would hold talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other officials on "developing bilateral ties and consolidating the Syrian-Iraqi cooperation in all fields," the state-run SANA news agency said.

Border security and the large sum of money the former Saddam Hussein government had put in Syrian banks were also expected to be high on agenda during Allawi's stay in Damascus.

The United States and the new Iraqi interim government has been accusing Syria and Iran of not doing enough to stop border infiltrations into Iraq.

Allawi, who took office after sovereignty was formally remitted to Iraq on June 28, just wrapped up his visits to Jordan and Egypt.

With Syria as the third leg of his Arab tour, he will later head for the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait with an aim to open a "new chapter" in Iraq's relations with countries in the region.