Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian reiterated Tehran's strong opposition to any military solution to the Syrian crisis, saying the problems in the Muslim country should be resolved through diplomacy and talks.

Amir Abdollahian made the remark in a meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah in Oman's capital of Masqat on Thursday.

"As we have reiterated before, political approaches are the only solution to Syria's problem and the crisis in the Muslim country has no military or security solution," Amir Abdollahian said.

The Omani foreign minister, for his part, stressed that the only solution to the Syrian crisis is a halt to the violence and bloodshed in the Muslim country, and holding dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underlined that Tehran is in favor of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups to create stability in the Middle Eastern country.

Last November, Iran hosted a meeting between the representatives of the Syrian government and opposition to encourage them to start talks to find a political solution to their problems. The National Dialogue Conference kicked off work in Tehran mid November with the motto of 'No to Violence, Yes to Democracy".

The meeting brought together almost 200 representatives of various Syrian ethnicities, political groups, minorities, the opposition, and state officials.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs and terrorists against Syrian forces and civilians being reported across the country.

The US and its western and regional allies have long sought to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his ruling system. Media reports said that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups have received significantly more and better weapons, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May 2012 that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling 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.

Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said last 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.

 

News ID 184910