FM: Iran Uses Utmost Power to Help Restore Peace in Syria

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will utilize its utmost capability and capability to help the Syrian people and government and help return calm and security to that country and the region," Salehi said in a meeting with Ghanaian President's special envoy Kodjo Tsikata here in Tehran.

"This is the Syrian nation that should decide its fate and national sovereignty, and the Iranian government and nation only provide the grounds for meeting and dialogue between (Syrian) government and different groups," Salehi added.

Tsikata, for his part, thanked Iran for the efforts it makes to restore peace and security in Syria, including the meeting between representatives of the Syrian government and opposition groups, and asked Iran to continue the same path.

The two-day Syrian National Dialogue conference kicked off work in Tehran on Sunday with the motto 'No to Violence, Yes to Democracy'.

The meeting brought together almost 200 representatives of various Syrian ethnicities, political groups, minorities, the opposition, and the state officials.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is in favor of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups to create stability in the Middle Eastern country.

Iranian officials have frequently called for finding a political solution to Syria and opposed to foreign interference in the crisis-hit country.

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.
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