Iranian fm says talks in Syria fruitful

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki described his meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday as fruitful and constructive where current developments in the region were discussed.

Mottaki told reporters in a statement following the meeting that he conveyed al-Assad a letter from Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He added that his earlier talks with Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa focused on the bilateral relations between the two countries and means of further enhancing them as well as reviewing the current developments and situations in this region in a detailed and accurate way.

The Iranian Foreign Minister also expressed hope that the international investigation committee into the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq al-Hariri would continue its work on mere judicial bases away from politicizing the investigations. He stressed that the Syrian officials are seriously dealing with this issue, adding that his country supports everything related to uncovering the truth behind the assassination of Hariri.

Mottaki pointed out that he discussed with Sharaa the US "suspicious moves in the region which aim at widening its control on the region," adding that the US is giving Israeli interests utmost priority and works to fully maintain and safeguard them.

He said his talks with Sharaa dealt as well with the Iraqi issue, where both sides stressed necessity of continuing the political process in Iraq and enabling the Iraqi people run their own affairs by themselves, as well as the interest by the neighboring countries to support the Iraqi people's interests and aspirations.