Khatami to visit Syria this year

The Iranian official news agency IRNA has reported that Iranian President Muhammad Khatami will hold his first official visit to Syria since he was elected President in May 1997, at the invitation of his Syrian counterpart, President Hafez al-Assad.

In its news report from Damascus, the agency added that the Syrian invitation was delivered to the Iranian ambassador in Damascus Hussein Sheikh al-Islam. However, Syrian and Iranian officials are meeting regularly to hold consultations on bilateral relations and regional issues.