The streets of Damascus were plastered this week with posters of Syria's most-favoured visitor of the moment - Hugo Chávez, the populist anti-American president of Venezuela.

"Welcome to your country," they shout, in ill-spelt Spanish. The faces of Mr Chávez and Bashar al-Assad, Syria's own autocratic lead-er, beam down, pledging their proud solidarity as fellow pariahs in the eyes of Washington.