DAMASCUS, (SANA)_President Bashar al-Assad said Syria has shown openness to all the initiatives that were put forth to solve the crisis in Syria, indicating that the key to the success of any initiative hinges on the good intentions to help Syria.

During his meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salihi in Damascus on Wednesday, President al-Assad underlined the importance that all initiatives be built on correct bases that respect the Syrian sovereignty, the Syrian people's free decision and rejecting foreign interference.

President al-Assad stressed that the current battle targets resistance as a whole, not only Syria.

The talks, which were held in a highly positive and important atmosphere, discussed bolstering mutual cooperation in all fields as to enable the people of the two countries to smooth over the difficulties posed by the unjust unilateral sanctions that are aimed to break their will and subjugate them to serve Western and Israeli interests.

The two sides also discussed the latest developments of the Syrian crisis, with emphasis put on the continual work and coordinating mutual efforts to end the crisis. President al-Assad conveyed to the Iranian minister the appreciation of the Syrian people for the Iranian good offices in this regard.

President al-Assad congratulated the Iranian side on the remarkable diplomatic and political performance at the Non-Aligned Movement Summit.

For his part, Salihi expressed his country's boundless support to the Syrian government's efforts to restore security and stability in the wake of the monumental reforms in which it responded to the public demands at the outset of the crisis.

During the meeting, President al-Assad was briefed by Salihi on the outcome of his latest visit to Cairo.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Walid al-Moallem, Presidential Political and Media Advisor, Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban, Assistant Foreign Minister, Ahmad Arnous and Director of the Media Department at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry, Dr. Jihad Makdissi.

Earlier, Minister al-Moallem met with Salihi and discussed bilateral relations and the latest developments in the region. The Iranian minster informed the Syrian side of Iran's' contacts to help find an exit out of the Syrian crisis.

President al-Assad discussed on August 7th with Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili the close and strategic cooperation relations between Syria and Iran and the situation in the Middle East region. The attempts by some Western countries and their allies in the region to target resistance through targeting Syria by backing terrorism there were also on the table.

M. Ismael