DUBAI: Iran hosted a rival version of a “Friends of Syria” conference yesterday, convening lawmakers from allies around the world to push for a diplomatic solution to Syria’s civil war and lambaste alleged Western interference.
Iran is a longtime ally of President Bashar Al Assad, whose minority Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam, providing him with financial, military and moral support as he battles rebels trying to overthrow him.
The one-day meeting appeared to mirror a series of “Friends of Syria” conferences in which Western and Arab nations pledged political and financial support for the rebels and for the millions of Syrians driven from their homes by the war.
At the conference in Tehran, attended by legislators from Russia, Algeria, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Cuba and Venezuela, Iran’s parliament speaker challenged Syrian rebels to put down their weapons and seek to oust Assad at the ballot box.
“Elections are the best way to determine the destiny of a country,” Ali Larijani said in remarks carried by Iran’s Press TV.
“You don’t believe Assad has a popular power base? Ok, then let the people determine that,” Larijani said
Another senior Iranian lawmaker, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, criticised US support for Syrian rebel groups, saying this had created “an army of terrorists” that posed a global threat.
REUTERS
