Syria and Iran deny arms boat claim

Damascus, 05 Nov-(ANA)-Syria has denied that a cargo ship loaded with hundreds of tonnes of weapons seized by Israel, was transporting Iranian arms to Syria.

The Israeli military says the arms were destined for the Lebanese armed political group, Hezbollah.

"This ship does not carry Iranian weapons to Syria and does not contain military material to manufacture weapons in Syria. This ship carries imported goods from Syria to Iran," Walid al-Moallem, the Syrian foreign minister, said on Wednesday.

His statement suggested that the ship was headed in the opposite direction of that claimed by Israel.

Addressing a joint news conference with Manouchehr Mottaki, his Iranian counterpart, in Tehran, al-Moallem ruled out interference in what he called the internal affairs of Lebanon.

"Iranian and Syrian governments have never put an obstacle in the way of the formation of a unity government in Lebanon and the two sides' agreements have always been welcomed by Iran and Syria," he said. (ANA)

FA/ANA/05 November 2009----