Iran: resistance will determine future of Middle East

Syrian President Bashar Assad hosts Iranian security official Ali Baqeri in Damascus; Baqeri meets with Palestinian leaders at Iranian embassy.

Haaretz, Syrian President Bashar Assad met with the undersecretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Baqeri on Monday, according to a presidential press statement.

The talks included the issue of Iran's nuclear program. Assad "stressed the importance of continuing negotiations leading to a diplomatic settlement to ensure Iran's right to possess nuclear energy for peaceful use," the statement said.

Baqeri, who has been in Syria on an official visit since Saturday evening, also met with leaders from Palestinian movements at the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

"We believe resistance will determine the future of this region," Baqeri said in a press statement after his meeting with Assad.

"There are many countries in the region which believe resistance is the way to solve the region's problems, and at the center of this view are Syria and Iran," Baqeri added.

Baqeri held separate meetings with the Islamic Jihad Movement Ramadan and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Iranian news agency Al-Fars reported.

Baqeri is also reported to have met with senior Hamas officials in Damascus, as well as Hussein Khalil, a political aide to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Iran provides support to Hezbollah, the Shi'ite militant movement based in southern Lebanon.

Baqeri's talks with al-Assad also included regional security issues, such as the situation in Iraq.