Speaker: Int'l Political Atmosphere Changing in Favor of Syrian People

“As the realities in Syria came to light and the menace to the region and the world’s security and peace became clear, the public opinion and the world’s political atmosphere has changed in favor of Syria’s oppressed people,” Ali Larijani said in a meeting with visiting Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi in Tehran on Saturday.

Larijani then reassured the visiting Syrian official that the Islamic Republic will continue supporting the Syrian government and nation against the terrorists, who have bred violence and unrest in the Arab country since 2011.

The Iranian speaker also warned against the consequences of the ongoing crisis in Syria for the security and stability of the region, and called for effective cooperation among regional countries to curb the violence.

Halqi, for his part, thanked the Islamic Republic for the supports it has made for his country, adding that Syrians would never forget Iran’s humanitarian assistance in the “very tough and difficult conditions.”

Earlier, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in a telephone talk with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad had stressed Tehran’s support for the Syrian nation and peaceful solution to the crisis in the Arab country.

In his Wednesday phone conversation, the Iranian president condemned the terrorist activities in Syria and also voiced Tehran's opposition to military intervention in the crisis-hit country.

The terrorist activities carried out by foreign-sponsored militants and Takfiri extremists in Syria are threats not only for the Syrian nation, but also for the whole region and the international peace and stability, Rouhani underlined.

“There is no military solution to the crisis in Syria, and restoration of stability and peace in the friend country of Syria is one of the objectives pursued by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Rouhani said.

The Syrian president, for his part, sympathized with the Iranian president and nation on the sad occasion of the November 19 terrorist twin bombings in front of the Islamic Republic Embassy in Beirut in which several innocent people were killed and injured.

The UN says more than 100,000 people have been killed since the unrest began in 2011. More than 2.2 million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries while an estimated 4.25 million have been displaced internally.

Over half of 2.2 million Syrian refugees are children, the UN says, with many facing grave dangers even outside the war zone.

And after months of delay and amid hopes for a political solution to the conflict, a much anticipated Geneva II conference is scheduled to begin on January 22 in Geneva.