Tehran  - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is to arrive Wednesday in Tehran for a one-day visit and talks with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Assad reportedly wants to mediate between Tehran and Paris for the return home of French lecturer Clotilde Reiss.

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. She must, however, 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)