And not through an inner spiritual struggle. By Mohammed Ali Saeed for AFP:
KHARTOUM (AFP) – Iran and Sudan’s presidents, whose hardline regimes are under intense international scrutiny, struck a defiant pose on Thursday in the face of Western pressure vowing to defeat the “enemies of Islam.”
“We are determined to foil the conspiracies aimed at planting the seeds of discord among Muslims,” Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir said at a press conference with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Wrapping up a two-day visit to Khartoum, the Iranian leader echoed Beshir’s words: “We proclaim our desire to solve the Muslim world’s woes… and rise up against attempts to sow discord in its midst.”
Beshir lent his full support to Iran’s nuclear programme, which the West fears Tehran wants to use for military purposes, while Ahmadinejad lashed out at the “enemies of Islam” and accused the West of seeking to destabilise Sudan.
In a joint statement, they drew “the world’s attention to Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons” and called for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.
During a meeting with Sudanese clerics Wednesday, Ahmadinejad launched into one of his trademark diatribes against the Jewish state.
“Zionists are the true incarnation of Satan,” he was quoted as saying by Iran’s official news agency.
“The Zionist regime was created by the British, brought up by the Americans and commits crimes in the region with their support,” he said.
The two leaders discussed the latest developments in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories while their delegations agreed to enhance trade ties and other fields of cooperation, including culture.
Iran’s ambassador to Khartoum, Reza Amiri, said before Ahmadinejad’s trip that he hoped business partnerships could help increase the volume of two-way trade to 70 million dollars a year from 43 million dollars now.
However, an issue that has also been at the heart of Iran-Sudan ties is military cooperation, with Sudanese Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein having visited Iran three times over the past year.
According to press reports, Sudan has shown interest in acquiring Iranian missiles and unmanned aircraft.