Assad slams US and Britain
Photo: AP
Assad: Iran has right to go nuclear
Unlike King Abdullah of Jordan who expressed support for peaceful Iranian nuclear energy, Syrian president does not specify which type of Iranian nuclear power he supports
Syrian President Basher Assad supports Iran's right to go nuclear "like any other country," he said Thursday during a meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Syria.
Assad also warned that such steps harmed the independent sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria. The Syrian president said that this was a foreign intervention of the largest powers in the region in opposition to international norms.
According to a report by the Iranian news agency IRNA, Assad accused Britain and the United States of intervening in decisions of international forums, and said that this was "preparing the ground for the weakening of international organizations and undermining their legitimacy."
Nuclear Iran
Expert on Iranian affairs says Israeli politicians should refrain from responding to hostile comments by Iranian leader
The Iranian foreign minister said that the decrease in the popularity of United States President George Bush is the result of his misguided policies in the region, especially Afghanistan and Iraq. He said that the US was closing its eyes to the worsening crisis in both countries.
'Islamic countries will support Palestinians'
Mottaki addressed the economic blockade on the Hamas government and said that the US government is punishing the Hamas-led Palestinian government despite the fact that it won in the elections in the most democratic way. Mottaki added that in light of this, Islamic countries would continue to support the Palestinians in a wise manner.
On Wednesday, during a meeting with the king of Jordan, Mottaki made the same comments, and said he "hoped the Islamic countries, and especially Jordan, will continue to aid the Palestinians."
King Abdullah said during the meeting that "the Iranian nuclear program for peaceful purposes is acceptable to us in the context of international regulations. We are seeking continue to find a diplomatic solution to this issue." Unlike the Syrian president, the Jordanian king said he supported the nuclear program for peaceful purposes alone.
Mottaki's visit to Jordan came after two years of tension in relations between the two countries, and after the arrest of Hamas members accused of smuggling weapons from Iran via Syria. Among others, weapons apprehended included Katyusha rockets made in Iran.
