Iran opposed to foreign intervention in Syria: Iranian FM

TEHRAN, Dec.3 (MNA) - Iran`s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has said that Iran is opposed to any measure that would pave the way for the interference of outsiders in Syria’s internal affairs. Salehi made the remarks during a speech at an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Syria, which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Foreign ministers of a number of member states attended the meeting. During his speech, Salehi explained Iran's stance toward the developments occurring in Syria and criticized the way the crisis engulfing Syria is being handled. European Union foreign ministers in Brussels agreed on Thursday to impose new sanctions on Syria's oil and financial sectors and added 11 entities and 12 people to its list of those targeted by asset freezes and travel bans, Reuters reported. EU countries have imposed several rounds of sanctions against the government of President Bashar al-Assad since May. The U.S. Treasury Department also blacklisted two Syrian officials and two financial institutions on Thursday. In addition, an Arab League committee convening in Cairo listed 17 Syrian VIPs banned from travel to Arab states on the same day. The Arab League suspended Syria at a meeting in Cairo on November 12. The Iranian foreign minister stated that the issue of Syria should only be resolved through holding negotiations and giving the Syrian government time to implement reforms. Salehi hailed Damascus' resistance to the Zionist regime and emphasized that reforms should be implemented and the necessary measures should be taken to prevent outsiders from interfering in the country's internal affairs. He also expressed hope that the Syrian government would continue to help improve regional security, support the oppressed Palestinian people, and promote the welfare of Syrian citizens through holding effective and constructive negotiations with the people. Elsewhere in his remarks, Salehi called on the OIC to play an active role in resolving the problems facing the Muslim world, particularly the issue of Palestine. Commenting on the developments unfolding in the region, he said that legitimate public demands must be met and called on the people of the region to be vigilant about the hegemonistic powers' efforts meant to change the course of events in the countries that have been experiencing pro-democracy uprisings. According to Reuters, the secretary general of the OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, said during the Jeddah meeting that the world’s largest Islamic body will try to resolve the political crisis in Syria internally and oppose moves to take the issue to the international community. Ihsanoglu called for a halt to violence and implementation of political reforms that meets the aspiration of the Syrian people, according to the Kuwait News Agency.