Iran Renews Call for Negotiated Solution to Crisis in Syria

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi once again underlined the necessity for finding a solution to the Syrian crisis through dialogue.

Speaking in a press conference after his meeting with Syrian counterpart Mohammad Kamel Amr in Cairo on Thursday, Salehi described dialogue as the only solution towards the return of calm to Syria.

“Now, Syria is in a situation that requires dialogue and negotiations. We hope these negotiations begin before the moment passes.”

The Iranian minister expressed the hope that regional states would meet to find a “Syrian-Syrian solution.”

During his stay in Cairo, Salehi also met with UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi.

During the meeting, Brahimi stressed Tehran’s influential and important role in regional developments, specially in Syria.

He emphasized that all bids and plans should protect the interests of the Syrian people and government.

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 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 the President Bashar al-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.