Al-Assad thanks Khatami on efforts to resolve Turkish - Syrian crisis

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa arrived in Tehran for a two-day visit during which he will meet with Iranian President Mohammed Khatami and deliver him a written message from Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.

Al-Sharaa said the goal of his visit is to thank the Iranian president for the efforts he exerted to solve the recent dispute between Syria and Turkey.

The statements made by al-Sharaa and his Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharazi, in Iran suggested that the issue of relations between Iran and Cairo are on the agenda of the talks.

Al-Sharaa said the Syrian government adheres to enhancing bilateral relations between Egypt and Iran. He also pointed out to meetings that brought Kharazi and his Egyptian counterpart Amr Moussa together on the margins of international conferences.

Egypt and Iran both made mediation to defuse the recent tensions between Syria and Turkey.