Iran holds rival Syria peace conference
The Associated Press
Posted: Nov 18, 2012 10:43 AM ET
Last Updated: Nov 19, 2012 12:51 AM ET
Related
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, who is convening a meeting of 200 delegates to discuss a possible end to Syria's conflict. (SANA/Reuters)Iran held a conference to reconcile Syria's government with opposition factions and end the country's civil war, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The report said the one-day meeting on Sunday of some 200 opposition members and Syria's National Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar could be a step toward a future, broad-based opposition gathering.
The report did not say if any of Syria's major rebel or exile groups had attended. Most of those groups distrust Iran, a key ally of their adversary President Bashar Assad.
Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi warned at the opening of the meeting that providing opposition groups with heavy arms could put the entire region at risk of "organized terrorism."
He said that arming Assad's opponents, as Damascus accuses Qatar and Saudi Arabia of doing, violates international law and principles of non-intervention in countries' domestic affairs.
Salehi reiterated Iran's traditional stance on Syria, blaming "foreign intervention and irresponsible armed groups" for the country's uprising. He said Iran supports peaceful solutions to end the crisis.
The conference is seen as a reaction to last week's meeting in Qatar in which opposition groups formed an umbrella coalition to topple Assad.
In August, Iran held a previous conference on the Syria conflict, attended by representatives of 30 countries. The Islamic Republic has supported Assad in the 20-month uprising, repeatedly accusing the West and Israel of instigating the conflicts
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Montreal mayor resigns amid corruption charges
- Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum has resigned in the wake of corruption charges being laid against him, although he maintains he is innocent. more »
- 2 men jailed in Dominican wedding fight return to Canada
- Two Canadian men who were detained in the Dominican Republic for nearly three weeks after a post-wedding fight broke out at a resort have returned to Toronto, the latest step in a drama that the wife of one of the men said was "like a scene from the movies." more »
- Are e-cigarettes safe to puff?
- As electronic or e-cigarettes grow in popularity, some health advocates want them to be regulated. more »
- Senators call for 'zero tolerance' on harassment in RCMP
- The RCMP should amend its code of conduct to explicitly define and prohibit harassment, a Senate committee is recommending in a newly tabled report. more »
Must Watch
Latest World News Headlines
- Google asks secret court to lift gag on surveillance
- Google is asking the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to lift its long-standing gag order on how often the company is asked to turn over data about its customers to the U.S. government. more »
- Brazil protesters keep up pressure on government
- Thousands of demonstrators flooded into a square in Brazil's economic hub, Sao Paulo, on Tuesday for the latest in a historic wave of protests against the shoddy state of public transit, schools and other public services in this booming South American giant. more »
- Silent protests spread as Turks mimic 'standing man'
- Demonstrators against the Turkish government have adopted a new way of protesting: standing in one place and remaining silent. They're following the lead of a performance artist whose eight-hour vigil ended when police arrested him. more »
- Huge ancient city at Angkor Wat revealed by lasers
- Airborne laser technology has uncovered a network of roadways and canals, illustrating a bustling ancient city linking Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple complex. more »
The National
The Current
- What happened to Betty Anne Gagnon? Jun. 18, 2013 3:09 PM Betty Anne Gagnon's mental disabilities didn't stop her from finding work, or finding friends. But when she needed it the most, she was unable to find help.
- 2 men jailed in Dominican wedding fight return to Canada
- Police probe death of woman, 27, in Kelowna home
- Hundreds attend 'Change Brazil' protest in Vancouver
- Are e-cigarettes safe to puff?
- Parents of son 'brutally beaten' playing hockey want charges
- Huge ancient city at Angkor Wat revealed by lasers
- Most groups don't want return of Trudeau speaking fees
- Montreal mayor resigns amid corruption charges
- TV chef Nigella Lawson's husband cautioned by police for assault

