Syria's anti-terrorism campaign deserves international praise

Iranian Envoy to Baku Mohsen Pakayeen called on the international community to praise Syria for its uncompromising campaign against the terrorism. The Iranian ambassador condemned the western governments for their continued support for the terrorists fighting the Syrian government, and said, "The Syrian army's anti-terrorist moves deserve international appreciation." He pointed to the Friends of Syria Conference in Tehran a few days ago, and said, "The conference was a step forward to strengthen regional and international efforts to help establish peace in Syria." Pakayeen underlined Iran's support for international efforts to put an end to the Syrian crisis as well as the efforts made by the international community in opposition to any possible foreign intervention and military confrontation in the country. The senior diplomat called on international bodies to expedite dispatch of humanitarian aid to Syria, lift economic embargos on the country, facilitate the return to home of Syrian refugees and help reconstruct the country. Iranian officials have repeatedly underlined that Tehran is in favor of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups to create stability in the Middle Eastern country. Last November, Iran hosted a meeting between the representatives of the Syrian government and opposition to encourage them to start talks to find a political solution to their problems. The National Dialogue Conference kicked off work in Tehran mid November with the motto of 'No to Violence, Yes to Democracy". The meeting brought together almost 200 representatives of various Syrian ethnicities, political groups, minorities, the opposition, and state officials. Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country. Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes. The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad. In October 2011, calm was almost restored in the Arab state after President Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel, the US and its Arab allies sought hard to bring the country into chaos through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots to topple President Bashar al-Assad, who is well known in the world for his anti-Israeli stances.