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Tehran: The main condition laid down by Israel for opening talks with Syria last week was that Damascus should end support for anti-Israel militant groups and distance itself from its "problematic relationship" with Iran.
Just five days after the talks were made public, Syria's Defence Minister visited Tehran and was welcomed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called for an expansion of defence co-operation between the two countries.
The visit suggests that Iran remains, in public at least, convinced that any talks between Israel and Syria are either unlikely to succeed or unlikely to damage its strategic alliance with Damascus.
Yesterday, AFP reported Iran and Syria have signed a new defence cooperation pact. "The two countries pledge their mutual support regarding territorial independence and integrity in terms of international and regional authorities," the state-run Irna news agency reported.
The accord, signed during a visit by Syrian Defence Minister Hassan Turkmani, also called for the withdrawal of "foreign and occupation forces, which are the source of insecurity and instability in the region."
Real aim
Ali Shamkhani, Iran's former defence minister, believed opposition inside Israel made a deal unlikely.
"This is a delaying game by Israel because it has got stuck between two killer options of going for war and failing, or [to] go for peace and hand over land," he told the Financial Times on the sidelines of the Ravand annual conference, modelled on the DavosWorld Economic Forum.
Iranians privately doubt that Syria's real aim is to recover Golan. "Golan is not the first priority for [Syrian President] Bashar Al Assad because this crisis in fact helps his regime not to collapse," said a former senior Iranian official who had dealt with Syria and Lebanon issues.
A western diplomat suspected Iran was upset with Turkey and doubted Iran was as relaxed about peace talks as it claimed. "Iran would say they are not worried, wouldn't they?"
But analysts say long-lasting strategic co-operation between Iran and Syria cannot be damaged easily, although differences over tactics in the region persist.
"Iran's role is crucial in Lebanon, while Syria's strategic importance is in Lebanon," said an analyst.
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