MOSCOW, RUSSIAN FEDERATION: Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad during their meeting in Moscow, 25 January 2005. The Syrian leader arrived in Moscow on a four-day state visit overshadowed by furious Israeli protests over reported contracts for Russian missiles that would erode the Jewish state's military superiority over its arch-foe Damascus. AFP PHOTO / SERGEI ZHUKOV (Photo credit should read SERGEI ZHUKOV/AFP/Getty Images)
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