Syria's Assad doesn't think Iran seeks atom bomb

PARIS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Saturday he wanted a political solution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme and he did not believe Tehran was seeking an atom bomb.

"What we're interested in is finding a political solution," Assad, who has close ties with Iranian leaders, told a joint news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has questioned Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"Of course, we will pass on to Iran what has just been said, but we think that to the best of our knowledge, Iran has no intention of trying to obtain nuclear weapons," he said.

(reporting by Paul Taylor, editing by Crispian Balmer)