Iranian president visits Syria this week

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinajad will be visiting Syria this week at a time when increased attempts to pressure Iran because of its nuclear program and against Syria because of the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri.

The Iranian news agency said that Ahmadinajad will visit Syria for two days at the invitation of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and will discuss with him bilateral, regional and international issues, giving no further detail and without a comment by the office of the Iranian president or the Iranian foreign ministry.

This will be, however, the first (corrected) visit by Ahmadinajad to a foreign country since he assumed power in Iran in August 2005.

Ahmadinajad's visit comes at a time when attempts to pressure Iran are increasing from the US and some of its allies in their aim to bring Iran's nuclear file to the UN Security Council.

For Syria, this visit comes at a time when pressures on it are also increasing after it was stated that President Bashar al-Assad refused to be interrogated by the UN Hariri investigation committee.

The two countries, Syria and Iran, who have been linked by strong relations since more than 25 years, decided in August 2005 to establish a strategic alliance to counter threats imposed on them.