Iran warns arms supplies to Syrian rebels threatening int'l security
By Sara Rajabova
Iran calls for an end to the arming of the "irresponsible groups" in Syria.
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili warned the countries supplying weapons to the terrorist groups in Syria are threatening the security of all the world states.
In a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour in Tehran on June 23, Jalili noted that the decision of a number of countries to send weapons to the terrorists in Syria is "an instance of threatening world security".
He warned of the harsh reaction of the international community to the dispatch of weapons to Syria, and said, "The regional countries will not allow certain western powers to use terrorism as a tool to target the security of the region."
Meanwhlie, in a meeting with members of the follow-up committee on Syrian national dialogue in Tehran on June 23, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian urged the countries which arm "irresponsible groups" and encourage them to carry out terrorist acts to stop their actions and instead contribute to Syria's reconstruction, Fars news agency reported.
During their talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, on June 22, top diplomats from Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States agreed to provide militants in Syria with arms. The top officials agreed to "provide urgently all the necessary material and equipment to the opposition on the ground, each country in its own way, in order to enable them to counter brutal attacks by the regime and its allies and protect the Syrian people."
Amir-Abdollahian expressed hope that representatives of the Syrian people and opposition would attend the comprehensive national dialogue which the committee plans to hold in the near future.
He said that Iran has always supported and will support a political solution, national dialogue, and an end to violence in Syria as well as non-interference in the internal affairs of this country.
The committee on Syrian national dialogue is comprised of representatives of the opposition, members of the People's Assembly and independent figures.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011 and many people, including large numbers of government forces, have been killed in the violence.
The deadly clashes between government forces and rebels in Syria continue to claim the lives of thousands of innocent people every day.
There are some 6.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance as a result of the fighting between the Syrian army and opposition forces seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad. The crisis has claimed more than 93,000 lives and sent some 1.5 million people fleeing to neighboring countries for safety.