Halting arms shipments to Syria will end crisis: Supreme Leader

TEHRAN, Nov. 20 (MNA) - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that the crisis in Syria can be resolved if the shipment of weapons to the country is stopped. Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks during a meeting with a number of Iranian hajj officials in Tehran on Monday. The annual gathering of Muslims in Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage began in late October and culminated in the same month this year according to the Islamic lunar calendar. Ayatollah Khamenei stated, “If opposition groups in a country are armed from outside, the ruling government will naturally deal with them.” He added, “If opposition groups in Syria lay down arms, there will be a possibility to ask the government to listen to the views of opposition groups and allow them to declare their stance.” The Leader also said, “The truth about the Syrian issue is that the hegemonistic bloc is seeking to destroy a link in the chain of resistance in the region, which is a neighbor of the occupying Zionist regime.” And Iran has adopted a clear stance toward the developments in Syria, he noted. Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei commented on the hajj pilgrimage, saying, “The unity, dignity, and diversity of the Muslim world are manifested during the hajj season, and this potential should be utilized efficiently.” He also commented on the necessity of strengthening unity between Shias and Sunnis, noting that disagreements between the two groups “have unnaturally increased over the past few years, which illustrates that the intensification of disagreements is being imposed on the Muslim community.”