At a meeting later that day with Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nadir al-Khaliki, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicatedthat a comprehensive increase in the level of Iranian-Syrian relations will benefit the peoples of the two countries and will have a stimulating effect on peace and the development of the Middle Eastern region. Comrade Ahmadinejad appealed to two countries to further develop the sphere of comprehensive economic cooperation.
At the same time, the Iranian head of state expressed hope for an early end to the "conspiracies" against Syria, as well as the restoration of peace and stability there.
In turn, Wael Nadir al-Khaliqi said that Syria is under economic pressure from the West. In addition, he said that the opposition is causing damage to the infrastructure. However, according to him, the Syrian people will undoubtedly pass all tests.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pointed to the difficulties imposed by the Syrian people and сказал:
“There is no adequate solution to the crisis, except for ending the violence, achieving national understanding and holding elections in Syria. We pray for the Syrians to overcome the difficult conditions imposed on this people at the expense of hope, cheerfulness and unanimity. ”
The Iranian President confirmed the expansion of relations between Tehran and Damascus and then called for the use of the economic potential of the two countries for the benefit of the two peoples.
The Syrian Prime Minister responded by saying that imperialism is trying to exert economic pressure on the Syrian people, but the Syrians will actively resist foreign domination. Also, comrade al-Khalki called the achievements of Iranians in various fields a source of pride for all independent freedom-loving peoples of the world, noting that the Syrian people are very pleased with the success of Iran.
The same day, negotiations were held between the Syrian Prime Minister and other representatives of the Iranian leadership. As a result of the meetings, the two sides came out with a unanimous condemnation of the actions of Western countries interfering in the internal affairs of Syria.
On January 16, a representative of Iran’s Supreme Spiritual Leader and National Security Secretary of the Islamic Republic, Saeed Jalili, met with Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki. Comrade Jalili praised the role of the Syrian people in resisting external aggression. At this meeting, we are talking about Israel.
Iran's National Security Secretary saidthat the destruction of public facilities, infrastructure, industrial facilities, oil pipelines and power lines is aimed at harming the Syrian people. He said that the Zionist regime of Israel and its sponsors cannot be allowed to achieve harmful goals. Said Jalili also noted that the policy of the West and other countries sponsoring terrorism cannot be justified. The Syrian Prime Minister responded by saying that terrorist elements are destroying the infrastructure of cities in order to put pressure on civilians. Saying that the pressure on Syria comes from the Zionist regime and the West, Comrade Al-Halki explained that this is revenge on the Syrian people for supporting the resistance of the patriotic forces to the Zionists.
Columnist "Voices of Russia" Vladimir Sazhin recalls that even before the start of the conflict in Syria, Iran was the main foreign investor in this country. True, many joint plans were not realized due to the Syrian war.
However, now that both countries are in the blockade, according to Taysir al-Zuabi, "all obstacles to the development of trade, economic and financial cooperation will be removed, which will strengthen bilateral ties." The adviser to the Iranian vice-president, Hassan Kazemi Kumi, in turn, noted that Tehran and Damascus "will unite their potentials in counteracting the economic blockade."
Thus, in the face of a common enemy, the two countries decided to join forces.
On the eve of the conflict, in 2011, an agreement on seventeen points was reached between Iran and Syria: cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, industry, transport and communications, agriculture and many others was envisaged. In addition, an agreement was reached on the construction of the Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon-Mediterranean gas pipeline (the cost of the transaction is 10 billion dollars). These plans can be called an attempt to major integration of the economies of the two states. It was even planned to create an Iranian-Syrian bank with a central office in Damascus.
But the civil war in Syria, supporting the West and some Arab countries, crossed out all the 2011 integration economic plans of the year. Today in Syria, inflation, food shortages - and this against the background of rapid growth in government spending, since there has been a war for almost two years. Alone, Syria is actually opposed not only by the so-called “opposition” (SSA), but also by mercenaries from various countries, right up to al-Qaida fighters dreaming of world sharia, and some countries of Western Europe, where Syria also dream of many aggressive people from the Arab neighborhoods.
The Iranian economy, strangled by EU and US sanctions, is also experiencing hard times. As Vladimir Sazhin reminds, the national currency of Iran also fell. Unemployment is rising in the country. But what is important, and in such a difficult time, Tehran is seeking opportunities to support its ally. For example, in December 2011, Ayatollah Khamenei approved the transfer of aid to Damascus in the amount of 5,8 billion dollars. Experts have data that according to which, in 2012, Iran provided the government of Bashar al-Assad with more than 10 billion.
Nina Mammadova, economist in international affairs, head of the Iranian sector of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, says:
“At present, when Tehran and Damascus are trying to resist economic pressure and the sword of Damocles of foreign military strike weighs over them, it is trade and economic ties between them that are one of the main means of survival. By supporting the current regime of Bashar Assad, Tehran is seeking to save its funds already invested in Syria. But the main thing is to protect our previously sufficiently strong economic positions in this country. After all, before the start of the conflict, the Iranian business occupied a rather prominent place in the economic life of Syria. ”
The latest negotiations at the highest level are precisely aimed at restoring the economic cooperation between Iran and Syria. The two countries that common enemies are trying to overcome will try to find ways to survive together in conditions of international sanctions and pressure.
By the way, in addition to the revival of the economic component of cooperation, Syria and Iran express a single point of view on international political issues.
In parallel with the negotiations in Tehran, there was a debate in the UN Security Council on anti-terrorism activities. At this debate, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, Mohammad Hazai saidthat in the fight against terrorism there should be no place for politicization and double standards. On January 15, he spoke on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement and demanded that the global community evaluate the terrorist attack at the Syrian University of Aleppo. Comrade Hazai stressed:
“The Non-Aligned Movement has always supported a decisive fight against all manifestations of terrorism and believes that efforts in this direction should be free from politicization and double standards. Otherwise, they will go into the wrong direction and instead of fighting terrorism will give fertile ground for the impunity of criminals. ”
He believes that anti-terrorism activities should be based on international cooperation, and the UN should play a “coordinating role” in it.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Bashar Jafari, also spoke to him. He criticized the Security Council precisely for double standards. After all, if the Security Council shows unity in the issue of countering the Islamists of Mali, then it also closes its eyes to the threat from the militants of the Syrian "opposition":
“Despite the recognition by the international community of the fact that armed terrorist groups, including those associated with Al-Qaida, are present and commit terrible crimes in Syria, some countries continue to openly help them, funding, arming, sheltering on their territory, as well as continue to support the political arena and the media. "
The question is, comrade Jafari said, how many foreign terrorists operating in Syria today will leave this country tomorrow to begin killing outside its borders.
As for the integration and comprehensive cooperation of Syria and Iran, the West has already begun to actively “analyze” information on this topic. Having looked through the “free” press, which one won’t learn.
Al-Arabiya, known for its “non-judgmentalism”, Launched a duck about the attempted assassination of the ambassador of Iran in Syria, Mohammad Reza Sheybani. The ambassador had to refute this "news».
According to the “information” from the Al-Arabiya channel, when the Iranian ambassador to Syria entered the building of the presidential residence in Syria - understandably, surrounded by people from Hezbollah and, of course, Russian military, they attacked. And they killed.
The government of Saudi Arabia stands behind the “dezoy” from the TV company “Al-Arabia”.
Fresh Iranian news came from the Israelis.
Resource MIGnews.com (referring to the US Department of Defense and the World Tribune publication) writes that Iran has deployed a whole “espionage headquarters” in Syria. This institution allegedly collects information for Hezbollah. There are two points of tracking and collecting information: in the northern part of the country and in the Golan Heights. True, it is immediately specified that these tracking points exist from 2006 year.
It is concluded that observation stations are only part of a more extensive tracking system. Its Iranians allegedly try to create in the whole Middle East and in the Mediterranean.
The espionage question clarifies the channel Al-Arabia, also referring to a report by the Pentagon’s counter-terrorism office. The information completely coincides with the one that MIGnews draws from the World Tribune resource. It clarifies only that the report (a month ago, by the way) states that the stations were established by the Corps of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution with the assistance of the Syrian government. Additional espionage stations for Israel are supposed to be installed in northern Syria.
On the channel Al-Arabiya they conclude that Iran’s support for the Syrian regime is constant. As an argument, the fact that 9 January, a group of 48 Iranians captured by Syrian opposition members as hostages in Syria in early August, was released in Damascus by agreement with the “Syrian regime” is cited.
Meanwhile, Iran insists that these 48 Iranians are simple pilgrims visiting Shiite shrines in southeast Damascus. Tehran denies that some of them were in active military service in Syria.
In proof that these 48 people are Iranian intelligence agents who fought in Syria on the side of Assad, Al-Arabiya leads ... its own program. A certain anonymous author, "dressed as an officer of the Free Syrian Army," said in an interview with the television channel that the 48 fighters, liberated by the Shabiha militia, carried out a reconnaissance mission in Damascus. A paper argument was also found: “During the investigation, we discovered that some of them were officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the opposition member said, showing documents identifying one of the men in front of the camera. He was in the background, with the Syrian flag in his hand. He was held by two armed men.
The next horror story about Iran and Syria, much more serious than the previous "pugalki", tells already about uranium. Yes, from now on, not only the severe comrade Ahmadinejad is engaged in uranium; he was interested in Bashar Assad.
Resource Israelinfo.ruReferring to a completely democratic source, the Financial Times, writes that Israel, the USA and other Western countries have few concerns about the reliability of storing chemical stocks. weapons in Syria, so now a new danger has appeared. Fears, the source quoted above indicates, is causing the future of a secret uranium repository near Damascus.
It turns out that up to 50 tons of uranium are stored in Syria. Fortunately, not enriched. The Financial Times has posted satellite photographs of the secret facility Marge al-Sultan near Damascus. Exactly there
"Unusual activity was noted that may be associated with the transportation of uranium reserves."
There is also a hunch: uranium was probably intended to be used as nuclear fuel for that plutonium production reactor at Deir az-Zur, which was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force in September 2007 of the year.
Moreover, the amount of uranium that Syria now has is sufficient to produce five nuclear bombs.
Some unnamed government officials have already expressed concern about Iran’s actions. After all, this country supporting Syria needs uranium for its nuclear program, and now it is trying to take control of the uranium repository.
On the American resource "The Trumpet" The January 15 editorial says bluntly: Syrian uranium reserves will soon fall into the hands of Iranians. At the same time chemical weapons will fall into these hands.
Iran in this article is called a country sponsoring terrorism. Trumpet is also referred to as the Financial Times. In this way, when one source refers to another, and the first, if it exists at all, sends readers to anonymous authors, and modern political propaganda is conducted.
In 2008, the IAEA suspected that Syria, after hitting Israel in 2007, managed to hide some of the uranium. This question still worries Israel and the West. Today, Syria can continue to hide uranium: after all, it does not have a reactor. Why does she need uranium? And she can sell it. The country is engulfed in political and social upheavals, and the option of selling uranium reserves looks increasingly attractive to sustain a weakened economy.
In August, 1990, the newspaper writes, when the Persian Gulf War was on, many analysts expressed concern about what Saddam Hussein would do with his biological and chemical weapons. Stocks of weapons were eventually found in Iraq, but not at all in the amount that Western intelligence services expected to find there. Analysts began to wrestle, where stocks have disappeared.
As it turned out, the journalists say they went to Syria!
And this country today is interested in selling them. But who needs such huge reserves?
How - to whom? Iran, replied American journalists. He is trying to find the uranium necessary for his supposedly peaceful purposes, the newspaper writes.
In addition, Iran is the closest ally of the current Syrian government. How can Iran get uranium? It's very simple: to transport by air. In principle, Iraq is involved as a channel for Iranian arms shipments to Syria, which means that uranium can be transported by land route through this country.
And the amount of what a deadly weapon will be made of is a big cause for concern, say American observers.
Trumpet used to write about the nuclear threat from Iran. Brad MacDonald wrote back in December 2004 of the year, in the paper number of this magazine, that
"Iran seeks to acquire nuclear weapons ... to establish itself as an outstanding people in the Islamic world ... nuclear weapons reflect their desire to become the dominant Islamic nation ..."
And if Iran gets into its hands uranium from Syria, it will mean one more step forward on the way of Iran to the realization of its ambitions, conclude in “Trumpet”. And they express the hope that Mr. Obama will not allow Iran to implement its nuclear program. As for the predictions regarding this program, the editors of the publication have no doubt: Iran will continue its struggle for nuclear weapons, despite international pressure.
In conclusion, we return to the economy.
В Financial Times On January 16, an article by Michael Peel and Nacim Bozorgmehr was published on the one-billion-dollar credit line provided by Syria to Iran.
1 billion. $ In the form of a credit line designed to pay for imports from Iran, Syria received from Iran as financial support for Tehran. Iran, the newspaper writes, fears the spread of the uprising, the negative impact of international sanctions and the weakening of the economy of its ally.
The deal between the Iranian Export Development Bank and the Commercial Bank of Syria is only part of a broader package of assistance agreed upon after the visit of Wael al-Khaliki to Tehran.
Although such an agreement is not a direct transfer of funds intended to strengthen Syria’s foreign exchange reserves, it will allow Syrian importers to receive goods from Iran for a loan, since such deliveries from other countries are difficult now.
David Butter, a financial specialist in the Middle East at Chatham House in London, said that such a deal could provide for the supply of basic goods to Syria - those that Damascus cannot purchase in other countries. According to this expert, the credit deal between Iran and Syria was “a rather desperate step.” It is not clear whether the Iranian manufacturers will be able to offer what Syria really needs. The Syrians, according to the British financier, did not previously buy things from Iran, however, at the moment they do not have much choice.
In the US, they hurried to accuse the Iranian bank of “providing or attempting to provide financial services” to a military organization, although a loan agreement aimed at expanding the existing trade relations between Syria and Iran leaves open the question of how the Assad government can continue to finance its military machine through line of credit.
Thus, in recent days, new anti-Iranian and anti-Syrian horror stories have been formed for the general public. Their main difference from the previous ones is that we are talking about two countries at once. If earlier “high-ranking sources at the Pentagon who wished to remain anonymous,” frightened readers of the “free” press with stuffing about the use of chemical weapons by Bashar Assad, and the Israeli prime minister spoke about the Tehran military nuclear program, now, after the negotiations between Iran and Syria, the advanced media started talking on a nuclear catastrophe, which Comrades Asad and Ahmadinejad are preparing the planet Earth in collaboration.
Observed and translated by Oleg Chuvakin
- especially for topwar.ru
- especially for topwar.ru