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Iranian official sees Tehran meeting on Syrian crisis a step towards stability, security

Iran Materials 18 November 2012 15:39 (UTC +04:00)
A senior Iranian security official said that participation of the Syrian government officials and representatives of ethnic, political, minority, and opposition groups in a Sunday meeting in Tehran to discuss the recent unrests in Syria will be a long stride towards restoring peace and stability in the country, Fars News reported.
Iranian official sees Tehran meeting on Syrian crisis a step towards stability, security

A senior Iranian security official said that participation of the Syrian government officials and representatives of ethnic, political, minority, and opposition groups in a Sunday meeting in Tehran to discuss the recent unrests in Syria will be a long stride towards restoring peace and stability in the country, Fars News reported.

The remarks were made in a meeting between Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili and Syrian Deputy Premier Qadri Jamil as well as Minister of State for National Reconciliation Affairs Ali Haidar on Saturday.

Jalili said that the upcoming meeting between the Syrian government and opposition in Tehran would be a turning point in Syria's developments and a step towards establishing stability and security for the people of this country.

The Iranian official added that the Islamic Republic considers national dialogue and moving towards democracy the only solution to Syria crisis.

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.

Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.

In October 2011, calm was eventually restored in the Arab state after President Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel, the US and its Arab allies are seeking hard to bring the country into chaos through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots in the hope of increasing unrests in Syria.

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.

According to the report, material is being stockpiled in Damascus, in Idlib near the Turkish border and in Zabadani on the Lebanese border.

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.

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