[Mb-civic] FW: Ahmadinejad meets radical Palestinian chiefs in Syria

[Golsorkhi]

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From: Golsorkhi <grgolsorkhi at earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 12:58:52 -0500
To: Michael Butler <michael at michaelbutler.com>
Subject: FW: Ahmadinejad meets radical Palestinian chiefs in Syria


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From: Samii Shahla <shahla at thesamiis.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:46:49 -0500
Subject: Ahmadinejad meets radical Palestinian chiefs in Syria


Yahoo News

Ahmadinejad meets radical Palestinian chiefs in Syria

Fri Jan 20

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met in Damascus with the leaders of 10
radical Palestinian movements including Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

Ahmadinejad said he "strongly supports the Palestinian people's struggle"
during the meeting, according to Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP) official Maher Taher Friday.

Taher said the militant chiefs pledged to Ahmadinejad that the "Palestinian
resistance and struggle would continue" against Israel.

"We expressed our solidarity with Syria, which is under pressure due to its
national positions, as well as with Iran which has the right to possess
nuclear technology for peaceful purposes," he added.

Islamic Jihad chief Abdullah Ramadan Shala, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and
PFLP-GC leader Ahmed Jibril were among those at the meeting, Taher said.

The meeting came one day after Islamic Jihad claimed a suicide attack in Tel
Aviv that wounded 19 people. Israel blamed Tehran and Damascus for
supporting the attack.

"The attack was financed by Tehran, planned in Syria and carried out by
Palestinians," Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz was quoted as saying by
a ministry official.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad did not attend Ahmadinejad's meeting with
the Palestinian chiefs, though he and Ahmadinejad met Thursday in Damascus
as the two allies reaffirmed their ties amid increasing international
pressure.

While Iran faces possible UN sanctions over its nuclear program, Assad's
regime is also growing more isolated over its alleged involvement in former
Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri's murder in February 2005.

Iran and Syria are both under US sanctions for their alleged sponsorship of
terrorism and quest for weapons of mass destruction. They also stand accused
of playing a spoiling role in their shared neighbor Iraq.

The ultra-conservative Iranian president has already faced international
outcry over his comments describing Israel as a "tumor" that should be
"wiped off the map."

During his first visit to sole regional ally Syria since his shock election
win in June, Ahmadinejad described Israeli Jews as "migrants" and asked if
Europeans would be willing to accommodate them.

"Give these migrants authorization to come into your countries and you will
see that they no longer want to live in occupied (Palestinian) territory,"
Ahmadinejad said during a meeting with high-ranking Syrian officials.

"Are you prepared to open the doors of your country to migrants so that they
can move freely throughout Europe? Are you going to guarantee their security
and no longer engage in anti-Semitic repression if they come into your
countries?" he asked, adding that he doubted Europeans' "sincerity."

Ahmadinejad also visited Shiite holy sites near the Syrian capital,
including the Sitt Zeinab mosque, the Sitt-Raquiya mosque and the Mosque of
Omeyyades.

Ahmadinejad and Assad were to meet later Friday before the Iranian leader
ended his two-day visit to Damascus.

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
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URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060120/wl_mideast_afp/iransyriapalestinia
nisrael_060120153656;_ylt=Am2Gblh5kw.L7bTRo15Q0JFSw60A;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9m
BHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl 


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