Syria has demanded Iraq release two Syrians who it said were forced to confess to being spies in an Iraqi television broadcast, Syria's official news agency said yesterday. Damascus said the men were merchants and their statements aired on Iraqi television earlier this month were false. Syria's interest office in Baghdad has "presented an official complaint to the Iraqi foreign ministry about the baseless allegations that were broadcast by the government's satellite channel", the Syrian Arab News Agency (Sana) said. It said Ahmad Al Farra and Mahmoud Al Rammah "were forced to present themselves falsely and under threat as intelligence officers of the Syrian army"."Syria urged the release of the two Syrian citizens ... and for them to be allowed to return to their homes," Sana said. Al Rammah and Al Farra had "frequented Iraq to buy leather", the agency said.