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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gestures as he delivers a speech during a business forum at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday. (AP)
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| By Associated Press August 30, 2006 |
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Thousands of Syrians lined the streets of their capital Wednesday waving banners welcoming Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who opened his visit with a pledge to stand by Syria in strong opposition to the U.S. government's "imperialistic" aggression in the Middle East.
"We have the same political vision and we will resist together the American imperialist aggression," Chavez told reporters upon his arrival at Damascus airport late Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar Assad hosted Chavez at the hilltop People's Palace, where the two leaders strolled down a red carpet alongside a 21-gun salute. A marching band played both national anthems as the leaders reviewed the honor guard.
Officials of both governments will sign a document opposing Washington's "aggression" in the Middle East, Chavez said.
Thousands of Syrians carrying Venezuelan and Syrian flags and pictures of Chavez and Assad lined the streets of downtown Damascus early Wednesday.
Assad greeted Chavez at the airport Tuesday night and thanked him for his support for Middle Eastern nations. He told reporters he saw Chavez's visit as "historic," and that the Venezuelan leader had made "great stands" in support of Arab causes.
"We appreciate your sincere feelings toward the peoples who have their rights and are under occupation, as well as your sincere humanitarian and moral sentiments," Assad was quoted as saying through an interpreter.
Chavez said he and Syria shared a "decisive and firm" stance against "imperialism" and American attempts for "domination."
Chavez has built close ties with Iran, Syria and other Mideast countries while his relations have grown tense with the U.S. and Israel.
Earlier this month, he compared Israel's attacks on Hezbollah militants in Lebanon to the Holocaust and withdrew Venezuela's ambassador to the Jewish state. Israel responded by recalling its ambassador to Venezuela, criticizing what it called Chavez's "one-sided policy" and "wild slurs."
Asked about Chavez's visit to Syria, U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the Venezuelan leader should remind Damascus about its international obligations to prevent Hezbollah from receiving weapons.
He cited a 2004 U.N. resolution that called for the disarmament of all guerrillas in Lebanon and the Aug. 14 cease-fire resolution that called for an arms embargo against Hezbollah. Israel accuses Syria of supplying arms to the Lebanese militia.
"We think what's important for anyone having discussions with the Syrian government to do is to emphasize the need for Syria to meet its international obligations," Casey said. "And that includes complying with its long-standing obligations under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, as well as the additional ones placed upon it in Resolution 1701."
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