News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Syrian president Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday that his country could play a role to help defuse the row over Iran's nuclear development program in the future. Israel and world powers are concerned that the Tehran government's enrichment of uranium could be used for an atomic weapon in spite of the Islamic Republic's claim that it is meant for peaceful purposes.

Al-Assad told a joint news conference with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that he was "not a mediator and not an envoy and not carrying a message from any Western official," although he had told French President Nicolas Sarkozy last month that he would use his good ties with Tehran to help resolve the atomic stand-off. Al-Assad said Syria's aim was to "first understand the Iranian position and then outline if there is any possibility of playing a role or not."

Western officials gave Tehran two weeks from July 19 to respond to their offer not to impose more United Nations sanctions on Iran if it froze expansion of its nuclear development activities. That suggested a deadline of Aug. 2 but Iran, which has repeatedly ruled out curbing its nuclear program, dismissed the idea of having two weeks in which to reply.