TEHRAN, Iran - Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Iran Saturday to discuss Iraq and other Middle East issues with President Mahmoud Ahmadinajed, state-run television reported.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during an official welcoming ceremony, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2007. [AP]

Assad was given a red-carpet welcome at the Presidential Palace in Tehran, the report said.

The United States has accused both Iran and Syria of not doing enough to stop militants from crossing from these countries into Iraq to join the insurgency. Both have rejected the charges.

This is Assad's fifth visit to Iran since he took office in 2000.

Iran and Syria have long been close allies. During the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Syria was the only Arab country that supported Iran.