BAGHDAD (AP) -- Syria, already home to more than a million Iraqi refugees, will require Iraqis to obtain visas before allowing them to enter the country for economic, trade and educational purposes, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said.

The Syrian move is seen as an attempt to reduce an inflow of more than 30,000 Iraqi refugees every month.
Syria and Jordan host most of the more than 2 million Iraqis displaced by war in their homeland, and both governments complain of increasing burdens on their health and education systems. Jordan already made it more difficult for Iraqis to enter.
The new Syrian rules take effect Sept. 10, Iraq's Foreign Ministry said on its Web site. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari was informed about the decision by his Syrian counterpart, Walid Moallem, in a telephone conversation Thursday, the ministry said.
Syria has been one of the easiest countries for Iraqis to take refuge in because they could stay up to six months, then simply leave at any border crossing and re-enter the same day to start a new six months.
It was unclear how the visa rules would affect Iraqis who try to enter Syria as straightforward refugees.
During a visit to Syria earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged to help Syria on the increasing flow of refugees, most of whom live in the capital of Damascus and its suburbs.
The refugees are overburdening schools, health facilities and housing, Syrian officials say.
Antonio Guterres, head of the UN refugee agency, praised Syria and Jordan on Thursday for taking in fleeing Iraqis and urged the international community to show solidarity by providing more direct support to the two nations