Iran, Syria back Palestinianmilitancyhttps://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090505/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria_iran;_ylt=Avur1ZSZeNgJG44PuyACdntvaA8F
The leaders of Iran and Syria reaffirmed their supportfor"Palestinian resistance" on Tuesday, a defiant message to theU.S.and its Mideast allies who are uneasy over Washington"s effortstoforge closer ties with the hard-line government in Tehran.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also met with the chiefsofHamas and other Damascus-based Palestinian radical groupsduringhis visit to Syria. Iran is a strong supporter of Islamicmilitantsin the region, including Hamas and Lebanon"sHezbollah.
Ahmadinejad"s visit to Syria comes as the U.S. is tryingtoimprove strained ties with the two longtime adversaries. TwoU.S.envoys, Jeffrey Feltman and Daniel Shapiro, center WashingtononTuesday for Syria for their second visit since March toexploreways to ease tensions between the United States and Syria,theState Department said. The envoys would be in Damascus onThursday,Syria"s ambassador to Washington, Imad Mustapha, toldTheAssociated Press
Ahmadinejad and his top Arab ally Syrian President BasharAssadmade little specific mention of American outreach as theysattogether at a press conference following their talks.
But the hard-line Iranian leader boasted that countries thattriedfor years to pressure Iran and Syria now say they need theirsupportto solve regional problems.
"Those who one day called Iran and Syria part of the axis ofevilnow want to develop relations with Iran and Syria,"saidAhmadinejad.
He also said the two countries" alliance was achieving"victories"in preventing "the big powers" offensive to dominatetheregion."
"Syria and Iran have been from the very beginning united andinagreement to stand on the side of the Palestinianresistance,"Ahmadinejad said. "They will continue to do so. We seethat theresistance will continue until all occupied territoriesareliberated."
Ahmadinejad later held talks with Hamas" political leaderKhaledMashaal and the head of the smaller militant Islamic Jihad.TheIranian leader "affirmed Iran"s support for the Palestinianpeopleand their resistance," said Ziad Nakhaleh, a senior IslamicJihadofficial.
Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials have been sendingmixedmessages in response to President Barack Obama"s calls fordialogue— at times taking a moderate tone, only to fall back on atoughline.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is visiting theMiddleEast, said Tuesday the U.S. is still waiting to see howtheIranians respond to Obama"s outreach, but so far the rhetoricfromAhmadinejad has been "not very encouraging."
Gates sought to reassure U.S. Arab allies, who are worriedthattheir rival Iran will be boosted by a U.S. dialogue. He alsosaid a"grand bargain" between Tehran and Washington wasunlikely.
There has been widespread speculation in the Middle East thattheObama administration would try to forge a "grand bargain"withIran, in which Washington would press Israel for concessions inthepeace process with the Palestinians in exchange for Tehranrollingback its nuclear program.
"The United States will be very open and transparent aboutthesecontacts, and we will keep our friends informed of what isgoing onso nobody gets surprised," Gates said at a news conferencein Egyptbefore heading to the Saudi capital.
The U.S. overtures to Iran are raising concerns among itsAraballies like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as Israel. TheyfearIran is trying to spread its influence across the Middle East,withits support of Hamas, Hezbollah and other militant groups.
Arab diplomats who met in Cairo Tuesday with theStateDepartment"s new special envoy for the Persian Gulf, DennisRoss,said they voiced those concerns.
"Some of what he heard was more than just grievances. Theywarnedthat Washington should be careful not to be so mild to Iran,"saidone diplomat who attended one of these encounters. He spokeoncondition of anonymity because of the sensitivity ofthesubject.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit expressedsimilarconcerns on Monday.
"Iran"s behavior in the region is negative in many aspectsanddoes not help in advancing security, stability and peace,"thestate-run Middle East News Agency quoted Aboul Gheit astellingRoss.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meetObamalater this month at the White House for their first meetingsinceeach leader took office earlier this year. Netanyahu isexpected tocome under pressure to publicly accept the principle ofaPalestinian state, a step he has avoided amid U.S. attemptstorevive the peace process.
Netanyahu is expected in turn to push for a tough U.S. stanceonIran. Israel argues that progress in peace with thePalestinianscan"t happen unless Iran is reined in.
Hamas" top political leader Khaled Mashaal, who is based inSyria,was quoted by the New York Times Tuesday as saying thatHamas iswilling to support a two-state solution. But he also saidHamaswould not renounce violence against Israel or recognize theJewishstate.
中国日报网环球在线消息：据美国媒体报道，叙利亚总统巴沙尔与到访的伊朗总统艾哈迈迪-内贾德5日重申，将继续支持巴勒斯坦人民的抵抗运动，后者还对美国对叙、伊两国的主动示好表现出了些许冷嘲热讽的态度。
艾哈迈迪-内贾德称：“叙利亚和伊朗从一开始就团结一致，支持巴勒斯坦的抵抗……他们（叙利亚和伊朗）将继续这样做。我们就爱你刚看到（巴勒斯坦）抵抗会继续下去，直到收复所有被占领的土地。”
据悉，以色列总理内塔尼亚胡在本月晚些时候将访问美国，在白宫与奥巴马举行两人上任后的首次会面。有分析认为，前者有望公开表示接受巴勒斯坦建国，并以此作为敦促美国对伊朗采取强硬态度的筹码。
美国对伊朗的“亲近”引起了很多中东国家尤其是美国在该地区盟友的担忧，但伊朗总统似乎对美国这样的举动不大买账。艾哈迈迪-内贾德与叙总统巴沙尔在会谈后举行的新闻发布会上，就很少提到此事，内贾德还带着些许揶揄道：“那些曾经把伊朗和叙利亚称为"邪恶轴心"的一部分的国家现在又想与伊朗和叙利亚改善关系。”当天，同样身在中东的美国国防部长罗伯特?盖茨表示，美国仍在等待伊朗对奥巴马主动示好的回应，目前来自艾哈迈迪-内贾德的言辞并不令人鼓舞。
此外，美国两名特使当天（5日）也离开华盛顿飞往叙利亚开始自今年3月以来对该国的第二次访问，以期缓和两国的关系。据美国媒体报道，这两名美国特使将于7日抵达大马士革。
（环球在线：王妮娜）
伊朗将审理美国女记者萨贝里上诉案
伊朗外长穆塔基重申该国核活动合法
《变形金刚2》送票！
