DAMASCUS: New Iranian PresidentHassan Rouhanipromised Syrian Prime MinisterWael al-Halqion Sunday that there would be no change in the two countries' close alliance, Syrian state media reported."No force in the world can shake the solid, strategic and historic relations that bind the two countries in friendship," Rouhani told Halqi, who was inTehranfor the Iranian president's swearing-in.
"Syrian-Iranian relations are based on understanding and a common destiny," theSyrian Arab News Agencyquoted him as saying.
The new president pledged "Iran's unwavering support for the Syrian people and government, in order to restore stability, face up to challenges, support efforts for reform and find a peaceful solution to the crisis."
The two governments have been close allies since the 1980 invasion ofIranby Saddam Hussein's Iraq, whenDamascustook Tehran's side in the ensuing eight-year war.
Iran has been the main regional ally of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in its efforts to defeat an uprising against his rule that erupted in March 2011, sparking a conflict in which theU.N.says more than 100,000 people have died.
Halqi handed Rouhani a letter from Assad in which he "insisted on reinforcing the strategic relations" between the two countries, SANA said.
He said the two governments had the "will to face up to conspiracies of the West, theUnited Statesand their tools in the region, who are seeking to weaken the axis of resistance".
The last was a reference to the alliance between Damascus, Tehran and Hezbollah, whose fighters have openly intervened in the Syrian conflict since late April.
By The Daily Star
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