Iraqi militant cleric Sadr meets with Syria's Assad

Damascus, 7 Feb. (AKI) - Radical Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has met president Bashar al-Assad during a two day visit to Syria. An official statement said that the discussions covered the security situation in Iraq, and the recent election results and consultations to form a new government. President Assad made an appeal for national unity in Iraq, while al-Sadr, whose party ran in December's Iraqi vote, praised Syria's position and accused Israel and the US of trying to stir up trouble among the two neighbours.

"Both Iraq and Syria are under US pressure. We have good relations, but our common enemies, Israel, the United States and Britain, are trying to spread strife among us. The people will not fall for this," he told reporters.

Al-Sadr said the Iraqi people expressed solidarity with Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to cooperate over the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, and announced that he wanted to coordinate the two nations' common interests.

The delegation led by al-Sadr, which also met Syria's foreign minister Farouk al-Sharaa, is expected to go to Lebanon next.

Al-Sadr came to prominence following the US invasion of Iraq, gaining support from poor Shiites in Baghdad and southern cities. He staged two anti-US revolts in Iraq.