Syria has been getting pretty well roughed up on the international scene lately (justifiably or not). They’ve been hearing increasingly tough talk from the U.S., they stand accused of taking part in the assassination of the neighboring prime minister, of not cooperating with the investigation of that event, of supporting terrorists, and of allowing replacement insurgents across their border and into Iraq. And now they are the subject of a U.N. Security Council resolution, under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter (which allows it to be backed by force, if necessary). Also, the war in Iraq is at their border, and possibly within their borders, with reported casualties on their side.

But as Syria tries to weather the storms of international pressure (and occasional military incursions), they can know that they have a friend…in the form of Iran, and its recently elected president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Which is convenient, in a sense, since the U.S. has been linking the two countries as problem states for some time now. Iran has stated its support of Syria in the face of the pressure at the U.N., and against their “common enemy”, the U.S.

It just seems to be getting easier and easier for the U.S. to end up at war with the next door neighbors of its two current wars. For a while, it seemed like it had to be improbable, what with the U.S. troops being overstretched, and the war in Iraq becoming so unpopular. But regardless of those two things, troubling signs are lapping at the shore with unsettling regularity. Here’s a round of those signs:

Two on the presidents of the two countries connecting and Iran’s president positioning himself as a strong regional ally of Syria and its President Assad…

Iran supports Syria against foreign pressure

Saturday, November 05, 2005 - ©2005 IranMania.com

LONDON, November 5 (IranMania) - Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a telephone conversation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad assured his counterpart of Tehran’s support for Damascus against foreign pressures, IRNA reported.

Following the publication of a report by the German judge Detlev Mehlis on the assassination of Lebanese Rafiq al Hariri, the Syrian regime has been put under growing pressure from Western countries.

According to the Syrian official News Agency (SANA), the two presidents, in their conversation, emphasized the continuation of consultation and coordination of both countries’ positions in different issues.

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Iran vows to support Syria against U.S. threats

Sat. 5 Nov 2005
Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, Nov. 05 – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed on Friday to support Syria against hostile threats.

Holding a telephone conversation with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Ahmadinejad said that the two states had to come together in the face of the “common enemy�?, a reference to the United States.

Ahmadinejad promised the Syrian leader aid and support against “foreign threats�?, the state-run news agency ILNA reported.

He also called for further dialogue among Muslim states.

Al-Assad said that despite international pressure Damascus would not abandon its “rights�?.

Both leaders called for further strengthening of bilateral relations.

And two on Iran’s Foreign Ministry supporting Syria re: the U.N. pressure and resolution…

TEHRAN: The Iran Foreign Ministry, in Iran’s first reaction to a UN resolution over the murder of former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri, said today that the international pressure being exerted on Syria was “unacceptable�? and “motivated by political pressure�?.

“We support Syria without any doubt. Syria is our friend,�? Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters.

“We think that this resolution has to be based on reality and cannot be arbitrary,�? he added

“Just like the lebanese government and people, and like the hariri family, we want the criminals to be punished. But the resolutions should not be politicised,�? he said.

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Reports: Iran voices support for Syria

Sunday, November 6, 2005

(CNN) — Iran is a friend and a staunch supporter of Syria, and believes international pressure on Syria stemming from a United Nations inquiry into the assassination earlier this year of a former Lebanese prime minister is unjust and unacceptable, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said Sunday as reported by Iranian media.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi noted as reported by the semi-official Mehr news agency, those responsible for the February 14 bombing death of Rafik Hariri should be brought to justice.

Syria has hotly denied any involvement in Hariri’s death and maintains it cooperated with the U.N. investigation headed by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis.

Mehlis’ report, which found evidence that Syrian officials were involved in Hariri’s death, are false and politically motivated, Syrian officials have said.

“Syria is one of our friends,” Asefi said during his weekly press conference on Sunday. “The actions that are taking place against this country, headed by Israel, is an injustice.”

Resolutions, he said, “must be based on truth” and should not be political tools, the news agency reported.

After the U.N. report was released, the U.N. Security Council voted in favor of a resolution demanding Syria cooperate with the U.N. investigation or face “further action.”

Earlier Sunday, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a telephone conversation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday, referred to “the common enemies of the two countries” and told Assad that “promotion of regional peace and tranquility and progress of Islamic countries required dialogue and exchange of views among Muslim states.”

Assad, according to the IRNA report, told Ahmadinejad that world powers have mounted pressure on Syria, but the country would not abandon its rights. He called for “further strengthening of bilateral relations,” the report said.

Journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report.

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