Ahmadinejad Visits Syria

The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, arrived in Damascus today for a two-day visit to Syria.

Bilateral economic, industrial and cultural agreements are scheduled for talks between Mr Ahmadinejad and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, and with both leaders under pressure and isolated from the international community, they are also expected to discuss relations with the wider world.

Iran is facing calls from Brussels and Washington to be referred to the UN security council over its nuclear programme, while a UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri has pointed the finger at Syria.

Investigators want to interview Mr Assad and his foreign minister, Farouq al-Shara. Damascus denies any role in the killing but says it will not allow the president to be questioned.

Mr Ahmadinejad, who is making his fourth foreign trip since becoming president, said relations with Syria, Iran's closest Arab ally, were "strong and good". Mr Assad was the first foreign leader to visit him when he took office in August.

The two countries share similar foreign policy objectives: opposition to what they perceive as US attempts to dominate the Middle East, hostility toward Israel and support for Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups.

The US lists both countries as sponsors of terrorism.

Syria has a seat on the 35-nation board of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, which holds an emergency meeting on February 2 to consider EU calls to refer Iran to the security council after it removed UN seals on three nuclear research facilities.

The Europeans, backed by the Washington, are confident of securing a majority, but there are countries whose vote they cannot count on. A Syrian vote against the EU call could bolster Belarus, Cuba and Venezuela to vote with them and perhaps swing Algeria and Libya.

Iran denies that it has a covert nuclear weapons programme.