Syrian President Bashar al-Assad meets Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: al-Assad: “We cannot ignore…the suffering of the Palestinians as a result of the Israeli terrorism, torture and killing”

President al-Assad: Syria and Iran Worked to Achieve a Stable and Independent Region Whose Destiny is Linked to its Decision that is Made by its People   May 05, 2009   Tue May 5, 2:08 PM ET Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) listens as Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (R) speaks during a news conference at al-Shaeb presidential palace in Damascus May 5, 2009. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA POLITICS)

Damascus, (SANA) – President Bashar al-Assad affirmed in a joint press conference with President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad following their talks on Tuesday the correctness of the Syrian-Iranian joint vision regarding the stances taken by the two countries in the past years, which is apparent in two points. The first point is that the relation between Syria and Iran is a strategic and underlined by the visit of Mr. Ahmadinejad. The second point is related to the continuing and persistent Arab common work to achieve a stable and independent region whose destiny is linked to its decision, which is made by its people. President al-Assad said “Syria’s stance regarding the Iranian nuclear issue is firm, our stance is well known 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.” “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. Only then will this talk and these doubts have some credibility.” President al-Assad pointed out that the relation between Syria and Iran is a natural relation, not an axis as some may like to implicate, saying “this relationship is normal and isn’t only linked to Syrian-Iranian relations but to any relations between any group of neighboring countries; Syria’s relation with all neighboring countries and Iran’s relations with all neighboring countries.” “This type of relations is for the benefit of these 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. President al-Assad said: ”when we talk about stability, we cannot ignore the Palestinian cause and the suffering of the Palestinians as a result of the Israeli terrorism, torture and killing, nor can we ignore the resistance and steadfastness of the Palestinian people” ”It is obvious that the dialogue today must center on the means to support all forms of the Palestinian peoples’ resistance and steadfastness,” President al-Assad added. President al-Assad went on saying: ”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” President al-Assad said “When we talk about stability, we cannot overlook the Iraqi issue. We are satisfied 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.” President al-Assad affirmed. ”Peoples of our region have grown more aware of their adherence to their rights and to the work to serve their interests, which is a reason for optimism” ”We are pleased over the developments of the Syrian-Iranian relations, and steps are being continually taken to further develop these relations” President al-Assad stressed that Syria’s vision of relations with Iran is based on principles and interest, saying “it’s natural for there to be good relations since we’re the people of one region and one nation with many things in common.” “At the same time, these principles came together with interests, so it was natural for Syria to support Iran when the Iranian revolution began,” President al-Assad said, adding that Iran understood Syria’s stance during the Iraqi-Iranian war and supported Syria in the past years when it was under severe pressure. President al-Assad said “If we look back at the issues that passed by during the past decades, we will find that Syria and Iran had mutual interests, and I believe that other countries have interests in the same stances we took and weren’t far from the Syrian-Iranian stances,” adding that all these issues were built on a long-term vision shared by Syria and Iran. “We relied on our clear vision to walk forward… we didn’t deal with pressures much… we took them seriously, but this didn’t prevent us from moving towards our goal, which was a clear goal.” President al-Assad pointed out. For his part, Preisdent of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that victory has come, affirming that the regional and global circumstances are quickly moving in favor of the stances of Iran and Syria. President Ahmadinejad said harmony and steadfastness are the secrets to victory, adding “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. President 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. Presidents al-Assad and Ahmadenijad said that Syria and Iran will continue their support to the Palestinian cause, adding that their efforts will continue for the Palestinians to stand in one rank and go on in their struggle till liberating the occupied lands. They underlined that the Syrian and Iranian stances are identical on the importance of the Palestinian people to rebuild Gaza along with the resistance, reiterating that the two countries are going on in this direction though Gaza is still under siege. “Gaza has defeated the Israeli military aggression and siege, and it will also succeed in reconstruction,” the two Presidents added.  Later, President Bashar al-Assad held a dinner banquet in honor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended by members of the two official delegations. H. Sabbagh / Manal / A. N. Idelbi

Moscow rejects Iranian N-plant – U.S. missile shield trade off

 

The Moscow Times » Issue 4097 » Frontpage Top

Kremlin Says No U.S. Quid Pro Quo 04 March 2009By Nabi Abdullaev / Staff Writer President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday that there would be no trade-off on Iran’s nuclear program and U.S. plans to set up a missile defense shield in Central Europe. “No one sets conditions on these issues with trade-offs, especially on the Iranian problem,” Medvedev said at a news conference in Madrid, where he was on a state visit. “In any case, we are working closely with our American colleagues on Iran’s nuclear program.” Medvedev was responding to reporters’ questions about a secret letter delivered three weeks ago from U.S. President Barack Obama. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Obama suggested in the letter that the United States would back off from plans to place interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic if Russia helped convince Iran to abandon its ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon. But Obama said late Tuesday in Washington that the report did not “accurately characterize the letter,” Reuters reported. The U.S. State Department told The Moscow Times that the letter expressed Obama’s readiness to discuss both missile defense and Iran with Russia but did not link the two. “We are ready to consult with our NATO allies and Russia … [and] explore the possibilities of cooperation with Russia on configuration of the anti-missile defense system, using assets we have and we may develop” in order to eliminate threats to the United States, its allies and Russia, State Department spokesman Darby Holladay said by telephone from Washington. He stressed that the Obama administration would discuss the missile defense options with the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic. Medvedev’s spokeswoman Natalya Timakova confirmed the existence of the letter to journalists in Madrid, and she stressed that it did not contain any mutually binding proposals. Medvedev welcomed the letter as a sign that the new U.S. administration was prepared to discuss one of the main irritants in relations between the two countries. “It is good already because several months ago we received a different signal: The decision has been made, there is nothing to talk about, we will do everything as decided,” he said, RIA-Novosti reported. On Nov. 5, the day Obama won the presidency, Medvedev threatened to place missiles on Russia’s border with Poland if Obama followed through with plans by the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush to station components of the missile defense shield so close to Russia’s borders. Senior Russian officials have said the missile defense plans intended to undercut Russia’s capacity for a retaliatory strike in case of a nuclear attack against the country. Bush officials maintained that the Central European sites were needed to intercept possible missile attacks against the United States and its Western European allies from Iran. The United States has long sought for Russia, which last week oversaw the test run of a Russian-built nuclear power plant in Iran and has provided the Islamic republic with short-range anti-aircraft missile systems, to exert some influence over Iran. Russian officials have repeatedly said Moscow opposes a nuclear-armed Iran but at the same time have opposed stricter U.S.-backed international sanctions against Tehran. The Obama letter was first reported Monday by Kommersant, which cited Washington sources. The New York Times published a front-page report Tuesday, citing unidentified Obama officials. It said the letter was hand-delivered by Undersecretary of State William Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, and that Medvedev has not responded to Obama. The two presidents are expected to meet in London on April 2. Obama’s position on the missile defense shield was formulated during his presidential campaign last year. He has said the effectiveness and affordability of the whole system needs to be proved before he decides to proceed with it. He has also said that he was ready to start direct negotiations with Iran. Iran and the United States officially cut ties in 1981. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday urged the United States to restore diplomatic relations with Iran. “This would be an important element in stabilizing the situation in the region,” he said. Lavrov is set to discuss arms control — another abrasive issue of the U.S.-Russian relations — with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Geneva on Friday. Both sides have indicated that they are prepared to cut the number of their nuclear warheads, but Russia — facing the rapid aging of its nuclear deterrent infrastructure — is also seeking limits on delivery means, such as missiles, bombers and submarines. ———————————- Al-Masakin News Agency http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/Al-masakinNewsAgency http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/feed/ http://twitter.com/AlMasakin