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27 July 2012 - 13:31

Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi praised the resistance shown by the Syrian people against enemy plots, and reiterated that Tehran will always remain on the side of the Syrian nation and government.

"Under such conditions that the entire major world powers have united to inflict a severe blow to Syria, the Syrian nation is united and solidly resisting, and Iran would always remain by the side of its Syrian brethren," Rahimi said in a meeting with Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Omar Ibrahim Ghalawanji in Tehran on Wednesday.

The Iranian official emphasized the need for preserving national unity and elevating resistance against the enemies, adding, "President Bashar al-Assad's reforms process in Syria has been a very positive and constructive move and we hope in a very near future the signs of defeat of the enemies and the victory of the Syrian nation would become evident."

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, 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 four 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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News ID 182295