Sadr Meets With Assad, Calls For Support of Holy Qods
August 9, 2000 - 0:0
TEHRAN Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab- African states, Mohammad Sadr, met on Tuesday with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus where the both sides discussed the issue of holy al-Qods.
During the meeting the Iranian envoy handed Assad message of Iranian President and Chairman of Organization of the Islamic Conference, Mohammad Khatami.
Upon his arrival in the Syrian capital on Tuesday morning, Sadr told IRNA that he was there to hand over a message on the issue of Beit-ul-Moqaddas by President Khatami in his capacity as OIC chairman to the leaders of Jordan, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. He was welcomed by Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid al-Moalem.
"Under current sensitive circumstances in the region, Mohammad Khatami, as head of the OIC, is determined to notify the heads of Arab and Islamic states over the issue of holy al-Qods," Sadr said.
Asked on his previous meetings with the heads of Jordan and Tunisia, Sadr said, "All of them maintain that several measures should be taken regarding the issue of holy Qods." "In case Islamic states take no action with respect to holy Qods and the Palestinians, the United States and Israel would manage to exert pressure on the Palestinian side and achieve more concessions," he added.
"Under current circumstances, the OIC should support Palestine and holy Qods." Turning to the U.S. plan to shift its embassy from Tel Aviv to holy Qods, Sadr said, "Iran has officially condemned this move which is not accepted by Iran and the Islamic states. The move aims to exert more pressure on the Palestinian side." Sadr, who is Khatami's special envoy in this trip, had earlier met Jordan's King Abdullah II and Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine ben Ali to whom he delivered Khatami's message.
After meeting with Ben Ali, Sadr said that the "message is related to the latest developments on the Palestinian status after the recent peace negotiations." Khatami's message arrived just two days after Ben Ali held talks with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Edward Walker over ways to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.
Khatami's special envoy will be heading on for Lebanon after visiting Syria.
During the meeting the Iranian envoy handed Assad message of Iranian President and Chairman of Organization of the Islamic Conference, Mohammad Khatami.
Upon his arrival in the Syrian capital on Tuesday morning, Sadr told IRNA that he was there to hand over a message on the issue of Beit-ul-Moqaddas by President Khatami in his capacity as OIC chairman to the leaders of Jordan, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. He was welcomed by Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid al-Moalem.
"Under current sensitive circumstances in the region, Mohammad Khatami, as head of the OIC, is determined to notify the heads of Arab and Islamic states over the issue of holy al-Qods," Sadr said.
Asked on his previous meetings with the heads of Jordan and Tunisia, Sadr said, "All of them maintain that several measures should be taken regarding the issue of holy Qods." "In case Islamic states take no action with respect to holy Qods and the Palestinians, the United States and Israel would manage to exert pressure on the Palestinian side and achieve more concessions," he added.
"Under current circumstances, the OIC should support Palestine and holy Qods." Turning to the U.S. plan to shift its embassy from Tel Aviv to holy Qods, Sadr said, "Iran has officially condemned this move which is not accepted by Iran and the Islamic states. The move aims to exert more pressure on the Palestinian side." Sadr, who is Khatami's special envoy in this trip, had earlier met Jordan's King Abdullah II and Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine ben Ali to whom he delivered Khatami's message.
After meeting with Ben Ali, Sadr said that the "message is related to the latest developments on the Palestinian status after the recent peace negotiations." Khatami's message arrived just two days after Ben Ali held talks with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Edward Walker over ways to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.
Khatami's special envoy will be heading on for Lebanon after visiting Syria.