DAMASCUS, Oct. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Syria and Iran Thursday night condemned the inhuman practices of the Israeli occupation troops against the Palestinian people, the official SANA news agency reported.

   Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his visiting Iranian counterpart Sayed Muhammad Khatami made the condemnation duringtheir meeting.

   They also stressed the importance of preserving Iraq's territorial integrity and independence, SANA said.

   On bilateral relations, the two leaders underlined the necessity to continue coordinations and consultations in a way to reflect and boost their "distinguished relations".

   The two leaders agreed to hold more meetings between the two sides in efforts to achieve regional security and stability while reviewing the best means to keep the interest of the peoples in the region, SANA added.

   In a statement to the official Syrian TV before the meeting,Khatami described the relations between Syria and Iran as strong and distinguished.

   On the US-Israeli pressures on Syria, the Iranian President said those pressures were not new, and they were existed in Syria, Iran and Lebanon.

   Khatami arrived here Thursday evening for an unscheduled short visit, which would wrap up his Arab tour that has taken him to Algeria, Sudan and Oman.

   Assad visited Tehran in early July for a state visit, during which the two leaders coordinated positions of the two countries on regional and international issues.  Enditem