Iran Hosts Conference on Syrian Crisis

Iran Conference on Syria May 29, 2013 in Tehran. The western imperialists have escalated their attacks on both Damascus and the Islamic Republic., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Friends of Syrian People Meeting Starts in Tehran

May 29, 2013

TEHRAN, (SANA)- The Friends of Syrian People meeting kicked off inTehran on Wednesday under the title 'The Political Solution and Regional Stability'

Delegations of more than 40 countries are taking part in the meeting which aims at finding a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

In the context, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Abbas Araghchi, expressed the hope that the discussions in the meeting will contribute to making the international conference on Syria which is scheduled to be held in Geneva next month a success.

He pointed out that Iran differentiates between the armed terrorist groups and the genuine opposition sides that seek to find a solution to the crisis in Syria through national dialogue between the government and the opposition which believes in the peaceful solution.

Salehi: Iran's Stance on Syria Is Clear

For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, stressed that his country's position on Syria has been and is still clear and transparent in that it is based on rejecting foreign interference in its affairs.

"Iran believes that foreign interference doesn't serve solving the crisis in Syria but would rather complicate the situation there," said Salehi during a meeting with former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud who had earlier arrived Iran to participate in the Friends of the Syrian People meeting.

Salehi also stressed the importance of solving the crisis in Syria by peaceful means during his discussions with a number of heads of delegations that arrived in Tehran to participate in the meeting.

Among those were the Omani Foreign Minister Yousef al-Harthy, Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister, David Velazquez and Bolivian Assistant Foreign Minister, Juan Carlos Alurralde.

H.Zain/ H. Said


Iran hosts international Friends of Syria Conference

Wed May 29, 2013 6:11AM GMT
presstv.ir

Iran is hosting the Friends of Syria Conference in the capital, Tehran, with the participation of representatives from 40 countries.

The event, which is held under the banner of “Political Solution, Regional Stability,” seeks to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

Officials from 40 countries as well as heads of regional and international organizations are expected to attend the conference.

According to reports, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci, Oman’s Deputy Foreign Minister Youssef Al-Harthi, Former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Minister for Defense and National Service of Tanzania Shamsi Vuai Nahodha are among the officials attending the event.

Iran has already held two other meetings on the crisis in the Arab country.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly expressed its opposition to any foreign intervention in Syria's internal affairs, stressing that inclusive dialog and national reconciliation as well as free elections are the keys to resolving the unrest in the Arab country.

The unrest in Syria erupted over two years ago and many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The meeting in Tehran comes as Russia and the United States have also agreed to convene an international conference on Syria in Geneva. However, no date has been set for the meeting yet.

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated the necessity of Iran’s presence in the forthcoming Geneva conference, saying, “The issue of Iran is key for us. Iran, without question, is one of the most important nations.”