Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 4
By Khalid Kazimov, Temkin Jafarov- Trend:
A top Iranian commander has said that Tehran is opposed to the intervention of foreigners in Syria.
"We are against foreigners' intervention in Syria and we think the Syrian people should play the key role regarding the existing crisis," the Commander of Iran's Basij (volunteer) Force, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, told Trend on the sidelines of rallies held in Tehran to mark the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
The general called on the region's countries to join the Iran-Russia-Syria-Iraq coalition to combat terrorism in the region.
"Cooperation between Iran and Russia can contribute to establishing security in the region," he added.
Naqdi further denied that Tehran has deployed troops in Syria, saying Iran only provides Damascus with military advisers.
Tehran earlier remarked that deploying military advisers to Syriais aimed at protecting Iran's national security and preventing war inside the country.
Seeking to put an end to the Syrian civil war, both allies and opponents of President Bashar are planning to resume peace talks within two weeks, after the first round of talks held inVienna on Oct. 30 failed to reach agreement on al-Assad's fate.
During late October peace talks, Tehran expressed support for the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while rivalSaudi Arabia demanded al-Assad and Iranian-backed troops leave the country.
Iran has officially confirmed that the number of casualties in the Syrian war has increased, with unconfirmed reports suggesting that some 30 Iranian servicemen have been killed in Syria over the past month, including several high ranking commanders.
The Islamic Republic views the Syrian regime as one of its main strategic allies in the region, as well as part of an "axis of resistance" against Israel.