In a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Damascus, Assad underlined that the West could not accuse Tehran of having an illegal program without scrutinizing Israel, widely believed to have a formidable nuclear weapons arsenal amassed with Western help.
"Those who accuse Iran must tell us what they are going to do about Israel's decades-long nuclear military program to have a modicum of credibility," he said.
Ahmadinejad arrived in Damascus on Tuesday on an official one-day visit to the Middle-Eastern country. The visit took place at the invitation of the Syrian president.
President Assad further pointed out that the current trend of dealing with Iran's nuclear dossier is political, adding that Syrian and other regional governments are opposed to such a trend.
Elsewhere, the Syrian president reminded satisfactory bilateral ties between Tehran and Damascus and asked for expansion of mutual ties.
He also praised Iran's stances in supporting the rights of the Arabs and Syria and defended its long-standing alliance with Iran, saying, "We have strategic ties ... which don't constitute an axis as some suggest, but serve the stability and strength of this region."
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