Iranian and Syrian leaders meet in Damascus

Sep 18, 2010, 10:02 GMT

Damascus - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus for a brief visit on Saturday.

Iranian sources told the German Press Agency dpa that the two leaders discussed 'issues of mutual concern', including the recent Palestinian-Israeli negotiations that included US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The sources said Damascus and Tehran believe Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas does not adequately represent the Palestinian side, pointing to the absence of the Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

Hamas, which is supported by both Iran and Syria, has rejected the Palestinian-Israeli talks and was not invited to take part in them.

The meeting between Ahmadinejad and al-Assad comes just one day after the Syrian leader met the US special envoy for the Middle East, George Mitchell.

While relations between Damascus and Washington have been strained in recent years, Syria has moved to strengthen its ties with Iran.

Ahmadinejad and al-Assad discussed the abolition of visas between the two nations and ways to strengthen overall cooperation, according to sources from both sides.

Following his meeting in Syria, Ahmadinejad is expected to travel to Algeria before heading to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, scheduled to begin Monday.

The Iranian president was accompanied by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, the home affairs minister and several advisers.

Also at the meeting between was Syrian Vice President Faruq al- Shara, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, the president's political and media adviser, and the economy minister.

The last time Ahmadinejad made an official visit to Syria was in February, when he also held talks with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon's political and militant group Hezbollah.