A flurry of meetings and telephone calls, visits and emissaries have gone back and forth between Damascus and Cairo in the past week or so, ever since it became clear that the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq was vanquished. The Syrian news agency, SANA, reported on the latest Egypt-Syria diplomatic contacts, which took place Sunday in Damascus between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
According to SANA, Mubarak and Assad discussed the latest developments in Iraq, agreeing on the importance of safeguarding Iraq's independence, unity and sovereignty, and the need for a joint Arab vision for the region. Farouq a-Shara, foreign minister of Syria, and his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Maher, briefed Assad and Mubarak on the meeting of foreign ministers of Iraq's neighboring states, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last Friday.
Assad and Mubarak committed themselves to "consultation and coordination in this important stage which the region is passing through," SANA reported, calling the Arab leaders' viewpoints "clear and identical regarding ending the occupation of Iraq...." The Damascus meeting echoed last week's statements by a-Shara in Cairo, Egypt. Speaking at a press conference, the Syrian foreign minister said that the region is passing through a dangerous transformation, including the "occupation" of an Arab state - Iraq. Therefore, a-Shara said at the time, "we have to be more consolidated and we have to shoulder our responsibilities with a high pan-Arab sense."
Similarly reflecting the sanctioned Syrian stance, Syrian Arab Republic radio carried a live Friday sermon from the al-Zahra Mosque in Damascus, delivered by a member of the Syrian People's Assembly, Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Habash. "Our hearts are bleeding and our eyes are full of tears as we see what is happening to beloved Iraq and the patient land of Palestine," Habash declared, "The dark hours we are witnessing are due to our divisions and separation from God. This is the hour of truth..... We have to release our cultural energies and resurrect our past glories so that we can again become masters of the world, protecting ourselves, and our past, present, and future." In typical fashion, the sermon concluded with praise for Assad: "We have full hope in this young president, who said what exists in the
conscience of every Muslim. His words in Arab summits were the words of an angry, inflamed Muslim public.... O Lord, make our President Bashar al-Asad successful in what pleases You. O Lord, give him support and victory. O Lord, we are Your witnesses on earth that he uttered what was right. O Lord, we are Your witnesses on earth that he persevered for the protection of Muslim lands. O Lord, make it the course of all the leaders of this nation."
According to SANA, Mubarak and Assad discussed the latest developments in Iraq, agreeing on the importance of safeguarding Iraq's independence, unity and sovereignty, and the need for a joint Arab vision for the region. Farouq a-Shara, foreign minister of Syria, and his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Maher, briefed Assad and Mubarak on the meeting of foreign ministers of Iraq's neighboring states, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last Friday.
Assad and Mubarak committed themselves to "consultation and coordination in this important stage which the region is passing through," SANA reported, calling the Arab leaders' viewpoints "clear and identical regarding ending the occupation of Iraq...." The Damascus meeting echoed last week's statements by a-Shara in Cairo, Egypt. Speaking at a press conference, the Syrian foreign minister said that the region is passing through a dangerous transformation, including the "occupation" of an Arab state - Iraq. Therefore, a-Shara said at the time, "we have to be more consolidated and we have to shoulder our responsibilities with a high pan-Arab sense."
Similarly reflecting the sanctioned Syrian stance, Syrian Arab Republic radio carried a live Friday sermon from the al-Zahra Mosque in Damascus, delivered by a member of the Syrian People's Assembly, Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Habash. "Our hearts are bleeding and our eyes are full of tears as we see what is happening to beloved Iraq and the patient land of Palestine," Habash declared, "The dark hours we are witnessing are due to our divisions and separation from God. This is the hour of truth..... We have to release our cultural energies and resurrect our past glories so that we can again become masters of the world, protecting ourselves, and our past, present, and future." In typical fashion, the sermon concluded with praise for Assad: "We have full hope in this young president, who said what exists in the
conscience of every Muslim. His words in Arab summits were the words of an angry, inflamed Muslim public.... O Lord, make our President Bashar al-Asad successful in what pleases You. O Lord, give him support and victory. O Lord, we are Your witnesses on earth that he uttered what was right. O Lord, we are Your witnesses on earth that he persevered for the protection of Muslim lands. O Lord, make it the course of all the leaders of this nation."