“Khatami and Assad are two extremists,” he said. “It could only have happened thanks to the truly magnetic personality of John Paul II.””We cannot forget the reality: The Syrians have to stop terrorism emanating from Lebanon and put an end to the occupation of that country. The Iranians have to halt their nuclear rearmament program, which directly threatens us,” said Shalom, who also attended the funeral.Katsav told Channel 2 television Friday that his handshakes with Assad and Khatami were a matter of politeness and had no policy implications.Katsav, who shook hands twice with Assad on Friday, said it was Assad who initiated the handshake.