Iran, OIC Voice Common Position in Opposition to Military Intervention in Syria

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in a meeting in Jeddah underlined the necessity for preventing military intervention in Syria.

The meeting was held in Jeddah on Monday on the sidelines of a meeting of the foreign ministers of the OIC contact group on Mali, including the top diplomats of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone.

During the meeting, the two officials stressed their opposition to the military intervention in Syria, the necessity for finding a political solution to the current crisis and stopping the conflict and bloodshed in the country.

The two sides also reiterated their concern about the activities of extremist groups in Syria.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.

The US and its western and regional allies have long sought to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his ruling system. Media reports said that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling Assad’s government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said in May that the flow of weapons – most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past – has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.