Syrian president says that he would not classify the indirect talks with Israel as actual "negotiations."
By JPOST.COM STAFFassad happy 248.88(photo credit: AP)
Amid speculation over the status of indirect negotiations between Damascus and Jerusalem, Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Tuesday that he did not intend to cut his country's ties with Iran, Channel 10 reported.
"Syria will stand with Iran on all the major strategic issues," Assad said during an interview with a local television station, which was aired on Channel 10.
"Only one situation would distance Syria from Iran, and that is if Teheran sided with Israel, and if America sided with the Arabs," he said, laughing.
Teheran viscerally opposes a peace deal between Israel and Syria.
For its part, Jerusalem has a clear desire to see a drop in the level of cooperation between Iran and Syria. Defense officials have long maintained that the bond between the two countries has permitted an unfettered arms smuggling route from Teheran, through Syria, and into Lebanon.
Commenting on negotiations with Israel, the Syrian president said that classifying the talks as "negotiations" was too strong a term.
"What's happening today is not negotiations, but they are called 'negotiations' in the media," Assad told the interviewer.
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