Khaddam and Sharaa in Tehran

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad received a message from his Iranian counterpart, Hashemi Rafsanjani, yesterday, hours before Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa arrived in Tehran to participate in the work of the joint supreme committee between the two countries.

 Syrian presidential spokesman Gebran Kouriya said that the Iranian ambassador to Damascus, Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, conveyed Rafsanjani’s message to Assad, which revolves around bilateral relations, regional issues, and international issues.

 Khaddam and Al-Sharaa arrived in Tehran later yesterday, accompanied by a high-level delegation, on a visit that Iranian radio said would be an opportunity to discuss “issues of common interest to the two countries.” The delegation was received by Iranian officials, led by Vice President Hassan Habibi, who described the relations between the two countries as “excellent.”