Syria welcomes balanced solutions, Syrian president tells Iranian FM

TEHRAN,Sept.20(MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi held a rare meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Wednesday. During the meeting, Assad said, “We welcome any balanced and fair initiative and solution that would help serve the interests of the people and the country of Syria,” according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. “It is obvious that Syria will not accept anything imposed (on it) from the outside,” he added. Assad also hailed Iran’s “sincere” efforts to help resolve the problems facing Syria and asked Salehi to convey his warm greetings to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian foreign minister said that a great media, psychological, and economic warfare campaign has been launched against Syria, adding that the Syrian people and government should remain vigilant about the plots hatched by the enemies. Salehi went on to say that a Syrian-Syrian solution should be achieved through dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition. He also stated that foreign intervention, the shipment of weapons to extremist groups, and violence should be stopped so that security and peace can be restored in the country. Elsewhere in his remarks, Salehi commented on “friendly” relations between the two countries, saying that Tehran is ready to increase its cooperation with Damascus in various spheres. In addition, Salehi, during his meeting with Assad, put forward the proposals the he had made during a foreign ministerial meeting of a contact group on Syria, comprising Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, which was held in Cairo on Monday. During the meeting in Cairo, Salehi had proposed the following points: announcing a halt to the conflict and the violence by both sides simultaneously; emphasizing the peaceful settlement of the crisis without foreign intervention; ending any kind of financial, military, and training support to armed groups; launching talks between the Syrian government and the opposition; establishing a national reconciliation committee with the participation of all movements and groups; dispatching observers from the contact group on Syria to supervise the process of ending the violence and holding negotiations; emphasizing the necessity of maintaining Syria’s cohesion, national unity, and territorial integrity; contributing to the process of fundamental reforms; and realizing a Syrian-Syrian democratic approach.