The foreign ministers of Syria, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, plus politically influential Egypt, met for almost two hours Sunday in a downtown Damascus hotel Sunday before breaking and traveling to Syrian President Bashar Assad's palace for talks.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari refused to attend the meeting after rejecting two last-minute invitations. He has also said the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council would not accept decisions taken by the meeting.

Despite Zebari's no-show, the ministers said in the draft communique, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, that they supported the Governing Council to "bear its transitional responsibilities until an elected Iraqi government with wide representation is established."

The communique also denounced terrorist groups operating inside Iraq and said US-led occupation forces must restore security and stability to the country they invaded in March.

The talks took place as violence flared again in Iraq. Thirteen US soldiers were killed and 20 injured Sunday when a US Chinook helicopter carrying dozens of soldiers to R&R leaves was shot down.

The draft communique, which is yet to be officially announced, denounced terrorist attacks in Iraq aimed at civilians, humanitarian and religious institutions, international organizations and diplomatic missions.

The ministers condemned some terrorist groups who have been using Iraqi territory to endanger security in neighboring states, but rejected accusations against their countries of interfering in Iraq's internal affairs.

US officials have said foreign fighters may be behind a recent upsurge in attacks against coalition forces, international aid agencies and Iraqis in Iraq. Washington has accused regional states, particularly Syria, of not doing enough to prevent foreign fighters infiltrating through its eastern border into Iraq to attack US-led coalition forces.

The ministers reiterated their support for Syria and stressed on the need to preserve Iraq's sovereignty and independence. They also called for strengthening the United Nations' role, particularly in drafting a new Iraqi constitution, holding elections and drawing up a time table to end the US-led occupation.

Syria and Iran strongly opposed the US-led conflict, while Kuwait was the launching pad for the invading American forces. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and Egypt are key US allies in the region.

Some worried Iraq's presence could divert the forum's focus from discussing the war's regional impact to direct involvement by neighboring states in the process of security and stability. The issue of military participation by Iraq's neighbors in a stabilization force was expected to be raised.