Tehran - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived Wednesday in Tehran for a one-day visit and started talks with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the news network Khabar reported.

In his fourth visit to Tehran since Ahmadinejad became president in 2005, Assad reportedly wants to mediate between Tehran and Paris for the return home of French lecturer Clotilde Reiss.

State TV reported that Assad was in Tehran for an unofficial visit to congratulate Ahmadinejad on his re-election and explore further deepening bilateral ties.

The TV report added that the two would also hold "some private talks" behind closed doors, without however giving further details.

State television quoted Assad as saying that Ahmadinejad's re-election was a confirmation of the Tehran-Damascus policies in the past and "a lesson for the Western world not to interfere in the internal affairs of Iran"

Also Ahmadinejad said that the West was in dire need of both Iran and Syria's help for settling their problems in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region.

Assad also met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who termed Iran and Syria as "symbol of resistance in the region."

Observers believe that the Reiss case was raised in the Tehran talks but agreed not to make it public as Tehran does not want to expose the Assad visit as a mediation effort by Damascus for Paris.

Reiss is charged with espionage after she admitted in court last week that she attended protests against alleged fraud in the June 12 presidential election and presented the French embassy in Tehran with a report.

Syria is one of Iran's closest allies, and relations between Assad and re-elected Ahmadinejad are good. Observers said they believe that Assad's mediation efforts would be successful.

Reiss was released Sunday after France paid about 200,000 euros (284,000 dollars) in bail after she had spent six weeks in prison. The terms of bail require her to remain in Iran until the case against her concludes.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi on Wednesday rejected any politicization of the Reiss case and said the French woman not only confessed in court but also apologized to the Iranian nation.(dpa)