The Syrian and Iranian vice presidents plan to meet in Damascus this weekend to begin repairing their strained relations, a Syrian official said Wednesday. Iranian Vice President Hassan Habibi and his Syrian counterpart, Abdel Halim Khaddam, are expected to discuss the Middle East peace process, Iraq and Syrian-Iranian ties, said the official, who asked not to be identified. Habibi is expected to arrive Saturday, accompanied by a high-ranking delegation, for meetings within the framework of a Syrian-Iranian committee set up to boost relations. Ties were strained in November when Syria backed the United Arab Emirates in a dispute with Iran over the Arab Gulf islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Mousa. Habibi cancelled a visit to Damascus and Iran’s official newspapers criticized Syria. However, Western sources indicated at the time that the real reason behind Iran’s annoyance was the prospect of Iranian isolation that might result from a breakthrough in the Syrian-Israeli peace negotiations after the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. While the leaders are expected to discuss those peace talks — which are scheduled to resume outside Washington, D.C., at the end of this month and are strongly opposed by Iran — they would not discuss attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah guerrillas against Israelis in southern Lebanon, the source said. Israel has repeatedly demanded that Syria, which controls two-thirds of Lebanon with at least 35,000 troops, clamp down on attacks by hard- line guerrillas who oppose the peace process, including Hezbollah, or Party of God.
The chief target of the hard-line guerrillas is Israel’s 9-mile-wide (15 km) self-proclaimed security zone set up inside southern Lebanon in 1985 to protect northern Israel from guerrilla attacks. About 1,000 Israeli soldiers and their 1,800-member allied militia control the enclave. Last week the U.S. State Department renewed Syria and Iran on its list of countries that promote international terrorism.
