Mr. Asad paid a short, unannounced visit Sunday to Tehran and immediately met his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Khatami to discuss "the latest developments in Iraq and the region, possible ways to settle the crisis and future prospects", the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

The Syrian President arrived unexpectedly, accompanied by vice President Abdel Hakim Khaddam and Foreign Minister Farooq al Shara’, as leaders of the United States, Britain and Spain met in the Portuguese island of Azores in what observers say would be the last meting before the start of the war, possibly this week.

Spain’s right wing Premier, Jose Maria Aznar told the BBC that from a legal point of view, attacking Iraq does not need a new resolution from the United Nations Security Council, adding that at present, "only Saddam Hoseyn can stop the war".

The Iranian source, speaking to Iran Press Service on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Asad made the lightening visit on request from Washington to assure the Iranian clerical leadership that the United States does not intend to extend the war on Iraq to Iran, but in exchange, it expects more cooperation from Tehran, including giving free hands to Iraqi oppositions, mostly the Shi’ites and the Kurds that have substantial military forces that could help American forces when they attack Iraq.

"He came to convey to Iranian ayatollahs that in case they changes their stated negative neutrality to positive neutrality and be more cooperative, they would reap some benefit once Saddam is replaced, but if they refuse, they would have to face all consequences", the source said on condition of anonymity.

Though Tehran, like the majority of world’s nations, is opposed to American and British plans to attack Iraq, at the same time, it also extends a helping hand to Iraqi opposition forces, allowing, as an example, "token" units of the "al Badr Brigade" to enter the Iraqi Kurdistan, where they held a parade near Soleymanyeh, the big city controlled by the Patriotic Union of (Iraqi) Kurdistan led by Mr. Jalal Talebani, two days ago.

Estimated at between 30.000 to 50.000 soldiers equipped and trained by Iranian forces, the brigade is controlled by the Tehran-based Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq led by Ayatollah Baqer al-Hakim.

The SAIRI is one of the six major Iraqi opposition groups recognised by both the United States and Iran.

As the only Arab country that sided with non-Arab Iran immediately after the Iraqi dictator attacked the newly established Islamic Republic in 1980, Damascus enjoys a privileged, vantage position in relations with Tehran, based on a "strategic interests".

But at the same time, Syria has normal relations with Washington and often serves as a "conveying belt" between the Islamic Republic and the "Great Satan" that broke off all relations in 1979.

"In their meeting, the two presidents stressed on the "need for peaceful settlement of the Iraqi crisis through United Nations resolutions, voiced their opposition to military interference and called on the US statesmen to respect the world's public opinion demands and replace language of logic with their language of force", IRNA said on the meeting.

Khatami and Assad stressed on the strengthening of regional cooperation particularly expanded relations among Iraq's neighbouring countries at this sensitive juncture and voiced their support for safeguarding the territorial integrity of Iraq.

As Iranian and Syrian presidents were talking, a hundred of Iranian women staged an anti-war demonstration in front of te UN’s office in Tehran and at the same time former president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani accused Washington of trying to revive colonial rule in the region.

"US officials are determined to increase their presence in the region in order to control its oil resources, solve the Palestinian problem to their advantage and make the region safe for their survival", he said, calling on all regional heads of state and government not to let allow the US' continued presence in the region, and on the Iranians to get "united and remain vigilant" in face of the American military build-up in the region.

"The US, which US has showed hostility to our system and nation over the past 25 years and is currently determined to attack our neighbouring country, can never do a damn thing", IRNA quoted him as having said upon his arrival to Qazvin, 150 Kilometres West of the Capital.

During his one-day stay in Tehran, the Syrian leader was due to also meet with Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, the leader of the Islamic Republic, but it was not clear if the meeting took place or not at the time this article was placed on the web.