On way to UN, Iran’s president stops in Syria for talks with ally in standoff with the West

Iranian president stops in Syria on way to UN

DAMASCUS, Syria — On his way to the U.N. General Assembly, Iran’s president stopped in Syria Saturday for talks with an important ally in Tehran’s confrontation with the West.

The brief visit by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comes two days after President Bashar Assad met with the Obama administration’s envoy for the Middle East, George Mitchell, in Damascus to discuss starting separate Syria-Israel peace talks.

The back-to-back trips underscored the battle for influence in Syria between the two rivals. The U.S., seeking to isolate Iran, has tried unsuccessfully to pry Damascus away from its alliance with Tehran.

Ahmadinejad said before his visit to Syria that he and Assad would discuss key areas of conflict and tension in the Middle East, including Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. He also told Iranian state TV Friday that he and Assad would discuss “the Westerners’ moves in the region,” an apparent reference to the United States.

“We have to be ready and in harmony,” he said in the state TV interview, without elaborating.

Washington is at odds with Iran over its nuclear program, which it fears is aimed at making weapons, and with a military buildup by Tehran that it believes threatens the United States’ Arab allies in the region as well as Israel. Iran says its nuclear activity is only for producing energy.

The U.S. began reaching out to Syria soon after President Barack Obama took office, and has made repeated overtures to Syria this year including nominating the first U.S. ambassador to Damascus since 2005 and sending top diplomats to meet with Assad.

Mitchell said during his visit Thursday that the U.S. was determined to reach a comprehensive peace in the Middle East and that the administration’s efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict did not contradict with peace between Israel and Syria.

Syria and Iran are both under U.S. pressure because of their support for anti-Israel militant groups. The U.S. also accuses Syria of secret nuclear activities, which Damascus denies.

The two leaders stressed the need for Iraqi politicians to overcome arguments that have delayed formation of a new government there after national elections in March, according to Syria’s state news agency, SANA.

Ahmadinejad also called the new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks — revived this month with Washington’s mediation — a failure, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV. He said Israel had no place in the future of the region.

The Iranian president was also to stop in Algeria before heading to New York.