DAMASCUS - President Bashar al-Assad on Monday received a letter from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran on the latest regional and international developments, particularly the US aggression on the Syrian territories, and the situation in Iraq, Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian lands.
The letter was conveyed to the President by the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki during a meeting held in Damascus.
Mottaki expressed Iran's condemnation of the US criminal aggression on the innocent civilians in al-BouKamak, underlining his country's support to Syria, as leadership and people, in the face of plots targeting Syria and the whole region.
President al-Assad considered that the threats and provocations will not frighten the Arab and Islamic nations, but they will increase their commitment to the right causes.
The President expressed satisfaction over the big development in relations between the two friendly countries.
Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal al-Mikdad, Assistant Foreign Minister Ahmad Arnous and the Iranian Ambassador in Damascus attended the meeting.
In this regard, Vice President Farouk al-Shara met Minister Mottaki and the accompanying delegation in the presence of Mr. al-Mikdad, Arnous and the Iranian Ambassador.
Speaker of the People's Assembly Mahmoud al-Abrash also held talks with the Iranian Minister in the presence of Suleiman Haddad, Head of the Arab and Foreign Affairs' Committee at the Assembly.
In a statement to reporters, Mottaki said his visit to Damascus comes in the framework of continuing consultations between the officials in the two countries and expressing Iran's solidarity with Syria regarding the US aggression on the Syrian lands.
"Iran has announced its stance towards the aggression and President Ahmadinejad made a telephone call with President al-Assad announcing the Iranian people's solidarity with the Syrian people and condemning this aggression," Minister Mottaki said.
"The US aggression came in a bid to weaken Syria's stances... but its results have boosted these stances and uncovered the US atrocities in the region," Mottaki said, adding that Syria has the right to pursue this issue on the international level legally and diplomatically.
On the outcomes of his talks with President al-Assad, Mottaki said "in addition to the US aggression, talks dealt with bilateral relations which witness a remarkable development, particularity after President al-Assad's latest visit to Tehran and the meetings he held with the Iranian officials.
"Talks also tackled the efforts exerted by the Organization of Islamic Conference, non-Aliened countries and the Arab League to prevent such aggression from happening," Iranian Foreign Minister added.
As for the situation in Iraq, Minister Mottaki said "the US shouldn't impose its attitude and opinion on the peoples in the region, underlining that the Iraqi people will not allow the US administration to do so."
For his part, Deputy Foreign Minister al-Mikdad described Minister Mottaki's meeting with President al-Assad as important, adding "talks during the meeting dealt with the situation in the region, both countries' stances regarding the latest developments and Iran's solidarity with Syria regarding the US aggression on the Syrian territories."
President Bashar al-Assad visited Tehran last August and held talks with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iranian senior officials on bilateral ties and the latest regional developments.
A final joint statement about the visit was issued on bilateral ties, the situation in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon, showing Iran's support to the Syrian people's right to restore the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
By Mazen
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2008
