Al-Assad due to visit Moscow in mid-April

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad is going to pay a three-day official visit to the Russian capital, Moscow, in the middle of April, during which he will meet with his Russian counterpart, Boris Yeltsin, and Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov.

Russian diplomatic sources in Damascus said al-Assad's talks in Moscow will tackle major topics, topped by military cooperation between Moscow and Syria and economic cooperation, especially in energy field.

The sources said Syrian military delegations visited Moscow both last year and this year, discussing large weapons transactions of more than $1.5 billion.

The sources stated that resuming military cooperation between the two sides needs a political decision by the Kremlin, which is exposed to strong pressure from Washington not to provide Syria with weapons, especially in the air defense field.