Syria, Iran sign naval training pact
By IANSSaturday, February 26, 2011
DAMASCUS - Syria and Iran have signed a naval training agreement, media reports said.
Taleb al-Bari, chief of Syria’s navy, and his Iranian counterpart, Habibollah Sayyari, signed the agreement on the Iranian ship Kharg which was docked at the Syrian coast, Xinhua reported citing local Damascus Press news website.
Sayyari, who arrived in Syria Wednesday, said his country’s vessels were on a “routine voyage” and had never participated in any military exercise.
On Thursday, two Iranian navy ships, Alvand, a 1,500-tonne patrol frigate armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, and Kharg, a 33,000-tonne supply vessel, arrived at the Syrian seaport of Lattaqia, 350 km north of Damascus, on a training mission.
The two vessels, which crossed the Suez Canal in Egypt before entering the Mediterranean Sea, have aroused anger among Israeli top officials, who regarded the voyage as a provocative step.
