Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Iranian peer Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday held a round of talks in Tehran, during which Assad congratulated Ahmadinejad on his re-election, which he said was a "lesson for foreigners," IRNA reported.
"I have come here today to cordially congratulate you and the Iranian people," Assad said, according to IRNA. "What happened in Iran was a major event and a great lesson for foreigners, that is why they are so upset," the Syrian leader said, according to AFP.
Assad also insisted that relations between Syria and Iran and their positions on Middle East issues should remain unchanged during Ahmadinejad's second four-year term. "Iran and Syria should pursue their... policies in the region," IRNA quoted Assad as telling Ahmadinejad.
For his part, the Iranian president said "Iran and Syria are in the same trench" and insisted that the West "terribly needs the help and cooperation" of the two regional allies.
Assad also met with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who hailed Syria for its "resistance" in the face of world powers. "Syria?s most important characteristic among Arab countries is its steadfastness and resistance," Khamenei said, noting Syria's "excellent standing" in the region.
According to Khamenei, "the resistance front" in the Middle East "should strengthen its cooperation and ties."
© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
