Tehran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on
Sunday called for a stronger alliance with Syria in a bid to resist
Israel and its allies over the Palestinian crisis.
In a meeting with visiting Syrian Prime Minister Mahmoud Naji
Otri, Ahmadinejad praised the two countries' position on the
international and regional issues, particularly the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict.
'Recent developments in the world proved that Iran and Syria were
moving on the right track insisting on the need of resistance against
enemies,' the Iranian leader said.
Tehran does not recognize Israel and is the main supporter of the
Islamist Hamas movement which controls Gaza.
Israel and the United States have accused Iran of training Hamas
militants in Gaza as well as providing them financing and weapons.
Tehran however insists it only gives spiritual and political support
to anti-Israel militia groups both in the Palestinian territories and
Lebanon.
'If Iran and Syria have an eminent position in the region, it is
because of their resistance based on their correct decisions,'
Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the website of state television
IRIB.
Iranian Vice President Parviz Davoudi, in a separate meeting with
Otri, urged Damascus to be more on alert about their political
enemies' tricks, saying: 'Both countries (Iran and Syria) should be
active in supporting unity among all Palestinian groups and the
reconstruction of Gaza.'
Iran was on the side of Hamas in its conflict with Israel last
month and harshly criticized the United Nations and some Arab states
for not reacting firmly against Israeli attacks. Angered Arab states
in response warned Tehran to stay out of internal Arab affairs.
Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by major Western
countries, has recently agreed to conciliatory talks with the secular
Palestinian Fatah movement, whose representatives were expelled from
Gaza by Hamas in June 2007.
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