Iranian president meets Palestinian militant chiefs in Syria

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is currently in Syria on an official visit, met on Friday chiefs of 10 Palestinian groups in Damascus, a Palestinian official said.

Maher al-Taher, senior official of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), told reporters that the Iranian president pledged support to "the Palestinian people and their just struggle" against Israel during the meeting.

"He (Ahmadinejad) said the Palestinian people will succeed due to their firmness, sacrifices and heroism," Taher said.

The Islamic Jihad (Holy War) leader Abdallah Ramadan Shallah, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) leader Khaled Meshaal and Ahmed Jibril, leader of the PFLP-General Command, also attended the 90-minute meeting with Ahmadinejad, Taher said.

For their part, the militant chiefs vowed that the "Palestinian resistance against Israel will continue," Taher said.

"We also pledged solidarity with Syria, which is under pressure due to its national positions, as well as with Iran which has the right to peaceful nuclear technology," he added.

"We also discussed the current pressure on Syria, Iran and Lebanon and emphasized the necessity to form a united front that includes all the powers that are against the Zionist-American schemes in the region," Taher said.

Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reiterated after talks on Thursday that they supported the Palestinian resistance against Israel and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Ahmadinejad stressed that "resistance is the only way to force the enemy to admit the legitimate rights of the Palestinians."

Ahmadinejad started a two-day official visit to Syria on Thursday in a bid to strengthen political and economic relations as Tehran and Damascus both face mounting international pressures.

The European Union and the United States have joined efforts in a bid to refer Iran's nuclear program to the UN Security Council which might lead to sanctions while Syria is facing accusations of being involved in the killing of Lebanese ex-premier Rafik al- Hariri and charged by the UN investigation team of slow cooperation.

Source: Xinhua