Syrian-Iranian talks focus on Iran's nuclear issue

Jul 17, 2008, 18:17 GMT

Damascus - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Thursday after talks with Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki in Damascus that brainstorming over Iran's nuclear issue will continue.

'Participation of US envoy William Burns in the meeting between EU foreign minister Javier Solana and Iranian nuclear negotiator Said Jalili helps the US to get to know Iran's position without mediators,' Mottaki said at a joint press conference after the talks.

Mottaki added that he hoped the Geneva talks would end with positive improvements.

Meanwhile, al-Moallem said that Syria will make sure that the talks would not devalue Iran's right of peaceful use of nuclear energy provided by the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The Syrian Foreign Minister stated that Syria and Iran were among the first countries to ask the international community to free the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction, stressing the fact that both countries still adhere to the same position.

The Iranian foreign minister told reporters upon arrival earlier on Thursday that his one-day stay in Syria was a scheduled one and his talks with Syrian officials would tackle efforts to boost regional stability.

Mottaki, whose tour includes a visit to Turkey, said he will discuss Iraq's situation and how its neighbouring countries can help it get through the on-going conflicts.

Mottaki, who did not meet with the Damascus-based Palestinian leaders before he left for Turkey as was scheduled, has met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The visit comes after a recent trip of al-Assad to France where he held talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

In France, al-Assad told reporters that Sarkozy had asked him to try help ease Tehran's nuclear standoff with the West.