(New York Post) Amir Taheri - Iran's President-elect Ahmadinejad refused to hold substantive talks with Assad during his rushed visit to Tehran. Ahamdinejad believes that Syria has lost much of its value for Iran, and with Syria out of Lebanon, Iran itself could become the major foreign influence in the country. Shiites, accounting for 40% of the population, represent the largest community in Lebanon and provide Iran with the strongest domestic base any foreign power would need in that country. The demise of Saddam Hussein means Iran no longer needs Syria to counterbalance Iraq within Arab regional politics. It is hard to see where Assad's Baathist regime could go from here, except out.
2005-08-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive