Syrian Opposition Groups to Convene in Tehran Again

Iran plans to host a second meeting between the representatives of the Syrian government and opposition groups in coming weeks, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announced on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters at the end of a cabinet meeting here in Tehran on Wednesday, Salehi said that a committee has been set up to pursue contacts with other groups and parties in Syria.

“God willing, we will have another meeting with some sides in Syria by the next one or two weeks,” Salehi mentioned, adding that “the relevant information about the exact date, venue and negotiating parties will be announced soon”.

Tehran has recently doubled its efforts to settle the problems in Syria which has been experiencing unrests since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian security forces and border guards.

On November 18, Iran hosted the Syrian National Dialogue Conference, with the motto “No to Violence, Yes to Democracy”.

Over 200 Syrian religious and political figures, leaders of tribes and parties as well as representatives and leaders of the opposition groups took part in the two-day meeting in Tehran.

A number of Syrian parliament members as well as senior political figures from Sudan, Algeria, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Brazil and Zimbabwe also took part in the meeting.

This was the first time that both Syrian opposition figures and the minister of national reconciliation Ali Haidar, as the representative of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, discussed ways of finding a solution to the Syrian crisis.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is in favor of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups to create stability in the Middle Eastern country.