7 April 2009

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad started on Tuesday a visit to Syria with a summit meeting that joined him to his Syrian counterpart Bachar al-Assad. Both leaders discussed the latest developments as well as the bilateral ties between Damascus and Tehran.
 
Speaking during a joint press conference with the Iranian leader, Assad affirmed the correctness of the Syrian-Iranian joint vision, recalling that the relation between Syria and Iran is strategic. "The latest developments prove that our vision of what is happening in the region is absolutely right," he said.
 
Assad reiterated that Syria's stance regarding the Iranian nuclear issue is firm. "Our stance is that every country in the world has the right to have nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and this right is guaranteed by relevant international conventions," Assad underlined.
 
"As for talks about suspicions of a military program, then the parties that are advocating this must show us for the sake of credibility what they are doing about the military nuclear program that has existed for decades in Israel," the Syrian President pointed out. "Only then will this talk and these doubts have some credibility," he explained.
 
The Syrian President, meanwhile, emphasized that the relation between Syria and Iran is a natural relation, not an axis as some may like to implicate. "This type of relations is for the benefit of the concerned countries, the benefit of stability and the benefit of the region's strength. So, it is our duty as countries to work to bolster this type of relations," he said.
 
Assad also expressed support for the resistance and steadfastness of the Palestinian people, noting that the dialogue today must center on the means to support all forms of the Palestinian peoples' resistance and steadfastness. "Our talks touched upon the way to support the Palestinian people's steadfastness by uniting it, because there cannot be steadfastness or resistance amid the divisions tearing apart the Palestinian political arena, and the talks also centered on the efforts to lift the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. These were the essential points in our talks''
 
The Syrian President also tackled the Iraqi issue and expressed satisfaction with the recent developments in Iraq, particularly the recent local administration elections that gave strong and clear indicators that the Iraqi people want the unity of Iraq and that Iraq isn't heading in the direction of division, fragmentation and collision among its people that some parties wanted and predicted. "Our viewpoints are in agreement regarding the necessity of supporting the current Iraqi government in its incessant efforts to achieve reconciliation among the Iraqi people and parties in order to achieve the complete withdrawal of foreign forces and occupation troops from Iraq." Assad affirmed.
 
For his part, the Iranian President stressed on the importance of the strategic relations between Syria and Iran and renewed his country's support for the Resistance choice against the Israeli enemy. "The resistance will continue until the liberation of all occupied territories," he asserted.
 
He said harmony and steadfastness are the secrets to victory, adding that "there are greater victories ahead of us… we must prevent foreign interference in our region, which must remain independent, free, advanced and filled with peace and amity among peoples."
 
He also affirmed that Iran and Syria seek justice and independence, and that they are committed to international rights and laws, adding that Iran and Syria's stance is growing stronger on the regional and international scenes.
 
Ahmadinejad pointed out that Iran and Syria welcome the stability of security in Iraq, saying "a unified Iraq benefits all the region's countries, and the presence of occupants in the region leads to lack of security and numerous problems for the region's peoples." He added that occupants must leave the region as soon as possible, affirming that resistance will continue until all occupied lands are liberated.
 
Ahmadinejad is also expected to meet with the leaders of Palestinian factions in the Syrian capital, Damascus. According to Khaled Abdul-Majid, the leader of the Syrian-based Popular Struggle Front, the Iranian leader will meet with the leaders of 10 Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, during his visit to Syria's capital in a message to the new right-wing Israeli government.
 
Abdul-Majid said that the meetings would be a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the "racist" steps it is taking, such as settlement expansion in areas Palestinians want for a future state.