Syrian Vice President Pleased With Results of His Visit to Russia

Vice President of Syria Abd al-Halim ibn Said Khaddam is pleased with the results of his visit to Russia. "I am satisfied with the results of my discussions with the Russian leadership," he told a Thursday press conference in Moscow. He also said the sides had been focusing their attention on "ways to boost relations between the two countries" and had "agreed to set up a working group to create a mechanism of launching such relations, in the economic sphere first of all." The sides had also discussed regional and international problems and found out that their views coincided as far as the Mideastern situation, Russian-Syrian cooperation in the framework of the United Nations, and coordination of their actions on the international scene were concerned.

"We have also discussed military-and-technical cooperation," reported Khaddam, adding that the subject had been considered as part of the two countries' cooperation and was "a case for military experts." He also mentioned the Syrian president's upcoming visit to Russia.