VZCZCXRO0752
OO RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHDM #3489 1981435
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 171435Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0379
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0126
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 003489 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
PARIS FOR WALLER, LONDON FOR TSOU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL SY IR LE
SUBJECT: TFLE01:  IRANIAN FM VISITS DAMASCUS 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Iran's FM Manouchehr Mottaki visited Damascus July 
17, meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Asad and 
delivering a message from Iranian President Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad, who stressed Iran's stand with Syria in 
confronting any attacks or aggression, according to the 
official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).  Mottaki's talks 
with Asad dealt with Israeli actions in Lebanon and the 
Palestinian Territories, as well as regional and 
international positions toward the ongoing crises, according 
to SANA.  The meeting was attended by Syrian FM Walid 
Mu'allim and Iran's Ambassador to Damascus, Mohammed Hassan 
Akhtari.  Mottaki was accompanied to Damscus by Deputy FM 
Mohammed Reza Baqeri, according to media reports. 
 
¶2.  (U) Mottaki also met separately with Syrian VP Farouk 
al-Shara'a, and the two officials afterward held a press 
conference outside Shara'a's office, according to SANA. 
Shara'a discussed regional developments, noting that Syria 
and Iran held identical viewpoints in condemning Israeli 
agression, in expressing solidarity for the Lebanese and 
Palestinian resistance, and in calling for Arab and Islamic 
support to defend the issues of the Islamic nation (or, in 
Arab, the "Umma").  Mottaki said his talks in Damascus were 
part of the continued Syrian-Iranian consultations on 
bilateral, regional and international issues, stating that 
Iran supported a sane end to the conflict, including the 
establishment of a truce, followed by the exchange of 
prisoners, according to SANA.  The Iranian FM also asserted 
that the Islamic nation and international public opinion 
condemned Israeli actions, and many countries were seeking to 
contact Iran to reach a solution, SANA reported. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Mottaki's visit had not been previously announced 
and press sessions were tightly controlled, with contacts 
telling us, for instance, that the press conference did not 
include a question-and-answer session. 
SECHE