Morsi warns Iran its support for Assad hampering relations with Egypt

Fierce clashes broke out Tuesday between Syrian rebels and regime forces battling for control of a border crossing on the frontier with Turkey, and Turkish authorities told residents to evacuate the area. On the diplomatic front, a spokesman for Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi said the Egyptian leader told Iran’s foreign minister in a meeting in Cairo that relations between the two countries were being hindered by Tehran’s support for Damascus. Spokesman Yasser Ali said Mursi told Ali Akbar Salehi that as president he could not ignore the fact that Egyptian public opinion was overwhelmingly against the Syrian regime, which he said “uses harsh language and violence against people.” Iran’s proposal for a halt to the violence emerged at a meeting in Cairo Monday of the Syria Contact Group to which it, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey belong, Tehran’s official IRNA news agency said. Salehi appealed for “a simultaneous halt in clashes and violence by the sides in Syria [and] insisted on a peaceful solution without foreign intervention and a halt to financial, military and training support for the Syrian opposition,” IRNA reported. He also suggested that observers from the countries could “monitor the process of stopping the violence in Syria,” IRNA added. Last month, the United Nations withdrew its own observers after both sides failed to adhere to an April cease-fire to which they had committed. Salehi, whose country is a crucial ally of the Assad regime, is traveling Wednesday to Syria, where he will meet with Assad and other government officials. A Turkish official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said government forces and rebels were engaged “in very fierce” battles near the border crossing of Tal Abyad. One woman was hit by a stray bullet and hospitalized in the Turkish border town of Akcakale. The Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency said six Syrians were injured in the clashes and brought across the border for treatment. Akcakale authorities told residents living close to the frontier to evacuate the area. Turkish state TV TRT also said some rebels fled to Akcakale. Syrian opposition groups had no immediate word on whether rebels succeeded in gaining control of the crossing, although several videos detailing the advance by the rebels were posted on YouTube. The activists who narrated the videos acknowledged that government forces were shelling Tal Abyad Tuesday, but from outside the town, after having lost control of it. Syria’s state-run news agency, SANA, acknowledged that government troops were busy “pursuing armed terrorist groups” in the area and claimed that all of the rebels had been killed. It is believed to be the first time that Syrian rebels have tried to seize the border area in the northern governorate of Raqqa, most of which is controlled by Assad’s forces. Rebels control several other border crossings into Turkey.Elsewhere, clashes between government troops and rebels erupted in several neighborhoods of the city of Aleppo, while the pro-opposition, London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least seven people were killed when the army tried to enter several neighborhoods in southern Damascus. The Local Coordination Committees, a network of activists in the country, said that 145 people were killed in Tuesday’s violence, including 65 in Damascus and surrounding areas. Meanwhile, Syrian refugees at a Jordanian camp pelted the U.N.-Arab envoy Lakhdar Brahimi’s convoy with stones during a protest over the international community’s failure to stop the bloodshed. Brahimi, who visited another camp in Turkey the same day, has himself called his task “nearly impossible.” But some in Jordan’s Zaatari camp shouted slogans implying that his initiative, which involves meetings with Assad, only legitimizes the Damascus regime. “Leave our camp. By seeing Bashar, you’ve extended his life,” some 200 refugees chanted. Jordan hosts over 200,000 displaced Syrians – the largest number in the region. The 31,000 residents of the Zaatari camp have frequently protested against conditions in their settlement, located on a plain in the northern desert. Jordan says the huge influx of Syrians has put pressure on its infrastructure and social services. Brahimi also toured a camp in the Turkish border province of Hatay. Dozens of refugees protested outside the camp, waving a rebel flag and denouncing Assad. Some 83,000 refugees have found shelter in 12 camps along the Turkish border. Brahimi said it appeared refugees were being treated well in Turkey and that he hoped for an end to the violence. “We hope that their country finds peace again and they can return to their country as early as possible,” he said. Also Tuesday, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry brushed off Syrian accusations that it was allowing thousands of Muslim extremists to cross into its territory. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Selcuk Unal said Turkey may not even respond to letters Syria sent to the U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accusing Turkey of allowing thousands of terrorists access to the country. “Instead of leveling complaints and making false accusations against various countries, including ours, Syria should look at the situation inside the country and take the required steps to correct the situation,” he said. (daily star)