Iranian president calls for all-out ties with Syria

TEHRAN, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on Tuesday for enhancing relation with Syria in different fields.

Urging comprehensive ties with the Arab state, the Iranian president said that “The relations between two countries in different areas is for the advantage of both nations and the regional people.”

Iran and Syria should use their economic potentials for the benefit of their people, he said in a meeting with visiting Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi here Tuesday.

Al-Halqi arrived in Iran’s capital Tehran on Tuesday to exchange views with Iranian officials on matters of mutual interest as well as regional and international issues.

Referring to the hard times of the Syrian people, the Iranian president expressed hope that the “plots” against Syria will come to an end “soon” and peace and security will be restored in the country.

With no doubt, the Syrian people will come out of the current hard situation, he said, adding that the best solution to the Syrian crisis is to stop conflicts and to hold free elections.

For his part, Al-Halqi said that after successive failures in Syria, the enemies of the Syrian nation have resorted to the destruction of infrastructures in the country.

The Western countries are seeking to put the Syrians under the economic pressure, but the the Syrian people will stand against them, he added.

Before meeting with Iranian president, the Syrian prime minister also met with Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi and the country’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Saeed Jalili.

In the meetings, both sides condemned the Western intervention in the Syrian affairs and expressed hope that the country to overcome the current difficulties.