Al-Assad gets messages from UAE president, Khatami

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday at the Damascus al-Shaab palace received the two Emirs of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Sheikh Hazzaa Bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

UAE ambassador in Damascus Ali Bin Seif Sultan attended the meeting.

Sheikh Muhammad conveyed to President al-Assad a verbal message from the UAE president Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan on bilateral relations and latest developments in the region.

Talks dealt with the relations between Syria and the UAE and ways of boosting these relations at different levels.

Earlier in the day, the president received a message from Iran's President Muhammad Khatami in a meeting held with the advisor of the Iranian president for cultural affairs for Cultural affairs Ataaullah Muhajirani.

The verbal message dealt with bilateral relations in all areas, especially culture.

Talks also dealt with the efforts being exerted to show the true picture of Islam in addition to methods of combating anti- Islamic campaigns by reactivating dialogue among cultures. The meeting was attended by Iran's ambassador to Syria Hussein Sheikh al-Islam and members of the delegation accompanying Muhajrani.