Assad says ready to mediate with Iran, meet Obama

Rome: Syrian President Bashar Assad has told an Italian newspaper that he is ready to act as a mediator between the West and Iran and would like to meet US President Barack Obama.

Assad was quoted as saying by Rome daily La Repubblica this week that Syrian and US interests are "80 percent" in agreement, and that the first steps of the Obama administration in Mideast policy are encouraging.

Addressing growing tensions with Tehran over its nuclear program, Assad said he was "ready to mediate with Iran" but added that Western governments must come up with a concrete proposal.

Assad did not elaborate on who had asked him to act as a mediator.

The Syrian leader said he would like to meet Obama and praised him for shutting down the Guantanamo Bay military prison and pledging to pull US troops out of Iraq.