Irani foreign minister is to visit Damascus

Iranian diplomatic sources confirmed that Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi will pay a visit to Damascus this week, where he will hold talks with his Syrian counterpart, Farouk al-Sharaa, and he will also meet with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad to whom he will deliver a written massage from the Iranian President Sayed Mohammed Khatami.

The source said that one of the visit's main targets is to discuss with Syrian officials Israeli offers of withdrawal from south Lebanon, its seriousness, effectiveness and the political ramifications of this withdrawal on Lebanon and the whole region. The most prominent subject in the talks is the future of Hizbullah.

The source expressed lack of anxiety by Iranian leadership toward the possibility of the Israeli forces' withdrawal from Lebanon and said they are not anxious about Hizbullah either, because Hizbullah has gained respect in Lebanon.