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Iran, Syria Champion Nuclear Rights

   Elizabeth Arrott | Cairo 25 February 2010

Photo: AP

   Iranian  President  Mahmoud  Ahmadinejad,  right, and Syrian President
   Bashar  Assad  review the honor guard at al-Shaab presidential palace,
   in Damascus, 25 Feb. 2010

   Iranian  President  Mahmoud  Ahmadinejad  is in Damascus, where Syrian
   President Bashar al-Assad pledged to support Iran's nuclear program.
   The Syrian and Iranian leaders knelt side by side during a celebration
   of the Muslim Prophet Mohammad's birthday.
   Earlier  in  the  day,  President  Ahmadinejad stressed Iran and Syria
   share both common interests and common enemies.
   Speaking   in  Damascus,  he  said  everyone  should  understand  that
   relations  between  the two countries are advanced and ongoing, and no
   action can damage those ties.
   The  message  follows  a  call  Wednesday  by  U.S. Secretary of State
   Hillary  Clinton  for  Syria  to  start  moving  away from Iran, which
   Washington wants to isolate for its nuclear program and its support of
   Hezbollah and Hamas militants.
   Mr.  Ahmadinejad was to meet with Syrian-based leaders of those groups
   during his visit.

AP

   Syrian  President Bashar Assad, rear, welcomes his Iranian counterpart
   Mahmoud  Ahmadinejad upon his arrival at al-Shaab presidential palace,
   in Damascus, Syria, 25 Feb 2010

   President  al-Assad  condemned what he called "a new colonial process"
   in the region concerning nuclear activities.
   The Syrian leader said Iran has been flexible in its dealings with the
   United  Nations  on nuclear issues, but that it appeared "pre-planned"
   that Islamic countries are to be denied any nuclear technology.
   The  United States and others accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons,
   a  charge  Tehran  denies.   Syria has also denied any illegal nuclear
   activities, despite findings by the International Atomic Energy Agency
   to the contrary.
   Washington  has  stepped up pressure on Iran, seeking another round of
   international  sanctions.   At  the  same  time, the United States has
   sought to improve ties with Syria, naming an ambassador to the country
   for the first time since 2005.

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