Syria Today | Assad and Ahmadinejad discuss joint US strategy

Assad and Ahmadinejad discuss joint US strategy

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a last-minute trip to Damascus to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on May 5. The meeting came two days before two senior US envoys arrived in Damascus to hold further talks with the Syrian government.

Ahmadinejad, who cancelled a planned trip to Latin America, flew to Syria to discuss with Assad a joint strategy vis-à-vis the US ahead of the arrival of US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and National Security Council Senior Director Daniel Shapiro in Damascus on May 7.

At a press conference following the meeting, Assad reaffirmed Syria’s alliance with Iran – a defiant message to Washington which has been urging Damascus to distance itself from Tehran. Assad described Syrian-Iranian relations as “strategic”, stating they contributed to regional stability.

“We have strategic ties... which don’t constitute an axis as some suggest, but serve the stability and strength of this region,” Assad said. “Our duty is to strengthen these kinds of ties.”

Assad also defended Iran’s right to pursue a peaceful nuclear energy programme – despite accusations from the West that the country has been using it as a cover for obtaining illegal nuclear weapons. Rebutting the allegations, Assad said the US could not point the finger at Tehran without scrutinising Israel, which is believed to have accumulated a large nuclear arsenal with Western assistance.

“Those who accuse Iran must tell us what they are going to do about Israel’s decades-long nuclear military programme to have a modicum of credibility,” he said.

Referring to the new US administration’s policy of engaging in dialogue with the two allied countries, Ahmadinejad said: “Those who have been pressuring Syria and Iran now need us and want to develop ties to solve their issues in the region.”

He added that both countries remain committed to supporting the militant Palestinian faction Hamas. During his visit, Ahmadinejad met with a number of leaders of the Damascus-based Palestinian factions including Hamas Political Bureau Head Khaled Meshaal and Ramadan Shallah, head of Islamic Jihad, a smaller group reported to have closer ties with Iran.

The day before Ahmadinejad’s arrival, the Obama administration rejected calls from Assad to open dialogue with Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah party. In an interview with France 3 television station on May 3, Assad called for “direct or indirect” talks between Washington and Hamas.

“When they want to have help with these parties, any contact – direct or indirect – with Syria… we are ready to help,” he said.

Following the interview, US State Department Spokesman Robert Wood reiterated from Washington that the two militant groups, which the US labels “terrorist organisations”, must renounce violence as a precondition for talks. “We call on Syria to use its influence to make these two groups play a much more constructive role in the region,” he said at a press conference on May 4.