Foreign Correspondence

[StephanieVanbryce]

' Syria and Iran to form 'common front'

Last Updated Wed, 16 Feb 2005 13:18:26 EST

CBC News

TEHRAN - Iran and Syria said Wednesday they will form a common front to face challenges and threats from overseas.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Naji al-Otari, left, meets with Iran's Vice-President, Mohammad Reza Aref, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday. (AP photo)
"We are ready to help Syria on all grounds to confront threats," Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref said after meeting in Tehran with Syria's prime minister.

"This meeting, which takes place at this sensitive time, is important, especially because Syria and Iran face several challenges and it is necessary to build a common front," Syrian Prime Minister Naji al-Otar said.

The U.S. has been sharply critical of both countries over what it sees as their obstructive roles in the Middle East.

U.S. pressure on Syria has increased since the attack that killed former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri on Monday. On Wednesday, William Burns, a U.S. assistant secretary of state, called for Syria's immediate withdrawal from Lebanon.

Syria, which maintains 15,000 troops in Lebanon, has condemned Hariri's killing.


RELATED STORY: Hundreds of thousands mark funeral of former Lebanese PM

As for Iran, the U.S. accuses the fundamentalist Shia Muslim state of running an illicit program to produce nuclear weapons, an allegation Iran denies.


FROM FEB. 8, 2005: Nuclear facilities safe from U.S. attack: Iran

It says its nuclear program is solely for generating energy. On Wednesday, Iran said the U.S. has been flying unmanned surveillance drones over its nuclear sites in the south of the country.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/02/16/syria-iran050216.html