U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday that U.S. diplomats have had talks with their Syrian counterparts over the Iraqi refugee crisis, despite Washington has been reluctant to have high-level contacts with Damascus.

Speaking at a congressional panel, Rice said she had authorized Michael Corbin, U.S. charge d'affaires in Damascus, to meet with the Syrians as part of a new U.S. initiative to tackle a growing Iraqi refugee crisis.

"We have a charge there who does have discussions with the Syrians about a variety of things. But I have authorized him explicitly to talk to the Syrians about the issue of refugees," Rice said.

Some 2 million Iraqis, about 8 percent of Iraq's pre-war population have fled Iraq to escape the war and mounting sectarian violence, many going to Syria and neighboring Jordan, according to the UN survey.

Besides, the number of those who were driven from their homes within Iraq is about 1.8 million.

Washington has been accused of not doing enough to help Iraqis refugees. The United States currently spends some 8 billion dollars a month to keep Iraq war going, yet the U.S. State Department plans to spend only 20 million dollars in the coming fiscal year to help shelter Iraqi refugees overseas, the New York Times reported.

The United States has been accusing Syria and Iran of moving to topple Lebanon's U.S.-backed government although Syria ended three decades of military dominance of Lebanon last year after former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri's assassination in February 2005.

Washington also accuses Damascus of allowing weapons and fighters to cross its border into Iraq in support of the anti-U.S. insurgency there, but the Syrian government denies the allegation.

Source: Xinhua