TEHRAN, YJC. -- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi have met to discuss the ongoing unrest in the crisis-hit Arab country.
Amir-Abdollahian and Brahimi held the two-hour meeting behind closed doors in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Saturday.
The Iranian official is on an official visit to Cairo for talks as
part of the latest effort by the Islamic Republic to help find a
solution to the unrest in Syria.
During his talks with the UN-AL envoy, Amir-Abdollahian described
the violence in Syria as foreign-sponsored and reaffirmed the Islamic
Republic’s support for a political solution to the crisis.
Brahimi, for his part, expressed his opposition to any military
intervention in Syria, saying the crisis must be resolved through talks
between the Syrian opposition and the government.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011, and many
people, including large numbers of Syrian army and security personnel,
have been killed in the violence.
Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the
country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants
fighting in the country are foreign nationals.
The Syrian government says the West and its regional allies
including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are supporting the armed
groups.
On Friday, the Iranian deputy foreign minister criticized the Qatari
government for allowing the Syrian opposition to open an embassy in
Doha, saying the intelligent and resistant people of Syria will never
allow others to decide the future of their country.
Amir-Abdollahian said the Qatar’s "theatrical and hasty” measure did
not have the backing of Syrians and urged Qatari officials to stop
fueling violence in Syria.