DAMASCUS - Syria and Iran defended their strong ties Thursday and dismissed US efforts to break up the 30-year-alliance, saying America should not dictate relationships in the Middle East. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, vowed increased cooperation during a meeting in Damascus and canceled visa restrictions between the countries. "We hope that others don't give us lessons about our region and our history," Assad told reporters when asked about Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's comments this week that the US is troubled by Syria's relationship from Iran. "We are the ones who decide how matters will go and we know our interests. We thank them for their advice." Ahmadinejad was more direct, calling for the US to pack up and leave the Middle East. "(The Americans) want to dominate the region but they feel Iran and Syria are preventing that," he said. "We tell them that instead of interfering in the region's affairs, to pack their things and leave." A string of high-profile visits to Damascus in recent months ��" from the US, France, and now Iran ��" demonstrates Syria's strategic importance in the Middle East. US President Barack Obama is determined to engage with Syria, a country seen as key to peace in the region but which the State Department has long considered a sponsor of terrorism. America's goals include peeling Syria away from Iran. Ahmadinejad's trip comes amid rising US tension with Tehran over the country's nuclear programme. The US and others believe Iran is hiding nuclear weapons development under the guise of a civilian energy program. Iran insists that its intentions are peaceful. Assad signaled his strong support for Iran, saying America's stance toward the country "is a new situation of colonialism in the region."
