DAMASCUS Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday backed Iranian calls for coordination by Islamic and Arabic countries in dealing with the future of Palestinians and the status of Al-Qods.
During a meeting Tuesday in Damascus, Iran's special envoy of President Mohammed Khatami, Mohammed Sad, delivered a message to Assad dealing with bilateral relations, Syria's official news agency (SANA) said.
Sad told reporters after the meeting that the message dealt with the Palestinian issue and the status of Al-Qods.
"The Iranian government is worried about the pressure imposed on Palestinians by American and Zionist parts, pushing the Palestinians for further abandoning of their right in the occupied territories and Al-Qods," said Sad, also Iran's foreign minister assistant.
He also said Assad praised Iran's efforts to secure the Arabs' presence in Al-Qods and offered his support for future decisions relating to that cause.
Assad expressed hope to visit Tehran in the near future for talks with his Iranian counterpart.
Sad is next traveling to Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in a tour which also included Jordan and Tunisia.
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.