Iran FM, Syrian President Meet In Damascus

Tehran, May 8, IRNA – Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday night. Salehi went straight into talks with President Assad after arriving in the Syrian capital. Upon arrival in Damascus, Salehi at the heading of a high-ranking delegation was welcomed by his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Mualem and a number of other Syrian officials. Salehiˈs visit to Syria comes right after his brief visit to Jordan earlier in the day and upon an invitation by the Syrian foreign minister. Earlier in the day, Salehi met with top Jordanian officials, including his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, Prime Minister Abdullah Nsour and King Abdullah II. During his talks in Amman, the Iranian official reiterated Tehran’s support for the Syrian people and government, and voiced the Islamic Republic’s strong opposition to any foreign intervention in Syria. He also called on the Syrian government and the opposition to resolve the country’s crisis through negotiations. Syria has been experiencing a deadly unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed by foreign-backed militants, which Damascus says are trained and supported by the Western powers and their allies in the region. Several international human rights organizations have accused foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes./end