On al-Assad's visit to Iran
Diplomatic sources ruled out in a statement to the London- based al-Hayat daily issued in London on Wednesday that President Bashar al-Assad who started on Wednesday an official visit to Tehran to mediate between Iran and the United Arab Emirates UAE.
The paper quoted the Syrian ambassador to Iran Ahmad al-Hassan as saying that the visit comes to assert the continuity of the remarkable relations between the two countries during which latest conditions in the region will be reviewed.
Al-Hassan indicated that the most important fruit of the Syrian- Iranian cooperation was in enabling the Islamic resistance in Lebanon from achieving victory against the Israeli occupation forces in the South and the Western Bekaa.
Meantime, the Saudi daily al-Watan on Wednesday quoted a Syrian source as saying that the visit of President Bashar al-Assad to Tehran on Wednesday shows that there is a Syrian mediation between Iran and the UAE on the three islands, due to the excellent relations linking Damascus and each of the UAE and Tehran.
Meanwhile, the London based al-Sharq al-Awsat ( Middle east) daily quoted Syrian sources which accompanied President al-Assad during his visit to Abu Dhabi as saying that Damascus has not the intention to mediate between Iran and the UAE and that any Syrian attempt to this effect will aim at ensuring the atmospheres for a peaceful solution which constitutes the only solution between the two sides to settle this matter.
For its part, the Kuwaiti daily al-Rai al-Am quoted Iranian sources in Damascus as saying that the Iranian officials view with satisfaction the Syrian position concerning the question of the island and considered it as moderate, noting that Syria is among the best countries which is qualified to play the role of the mediator in this problem due to its relations with each of the UAE and Iran.
On the other hand, well-informed Arab diplomatic sources, preferred not to be identified told the Kuwaiti paper that it is ruled out that the Syrian President will open the file of the three islands with the Iranian officials.
