TFLE01: IRANIAN FM VISITS DAMASCUS

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 003489 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS PARIS FOR WALLER, LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL SY IR LE SUBJECT: TFLE01: IRANIAN FM VISITS DAMASCUS ¶1. (U) Iran's FM Manouchehr Mottaki visited Damascus July 17, meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Asad and delivering a message from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who stressed Iran's stand with Syria in confronting any attacks or aggression, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Mottaki's talks with Asad dealt with Israeli actions in Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories, as well as regional and international positions toward the ongoing crises, according to SANA. The meeting was attended by Syrian FM Walid Mu'allim and Iran's Ambassador to Damascus, Mohammed Hassan Akhtari. Mottaki was accompanied to Damscus by Deputy FM Mohammed Reza Baqeri, according to media reports. ¶2. (U) Mottaki also met separately with Syrian VP Farouk al-Shara'a, and the two officials afterward held a press conference outside Shara'a's office, according to SANA. Shara'a discussed regional developments, noting that Syria and Iran held identical viewpoints in condemning Israeli agression, in expressing solidarity for the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance, and in calling for Arab and Islamic support to defend the issues of the Islamic nation (or, in Arab, the "Umma"). Mottaki said his talks in Damascus were part of the continued Syrian-Iranian consultations on bilateral, regional and international issues, stating that Iran supported a sane end to the conflict, including the establishment of a truce, followed by the exchange of prisoners, according to SANA. The Iranian FM also asserted that the Islamic nation and international public opinion condemned Israeli actions, and many countries were seeking to contact Iran to reach a solution, SANA reported. ¶3. (SBU) Mottaki's visit had not been previously announced and press sessions were tightly controlled, with contacts telling us, for instance, that the press conference did not include a question-and-answer session. SECHE