Salehi To Turkey, Jalili in Damascus to Discuss Syria, Iranian Hostages
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Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi will pay a snap visit to Turkey late Tuesday for talks on the Syrian crisis and 48 Iranians kidnapped there, officials said.
The Iranian foreign minister wanted to visit Turkey "at his own request," which was conveyed through diplomatic channels late Monday, a Turkish diplomat told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Salehi will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara, with the Syria conflict topping the agenda, he added.
The Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement quoted by the official news agency IRNA, that the situation of the pilgrims kidnapped in Damascus which Tehran blames on Syrian rebel forces fighting the regime's loyalist troops would be discussed.
"Considering that the so-called "Free Syrian Army" -- which claims to have abducted the Iranian pilgrims -- is backed by Turkey, the visit by the foreign minister aims to warn and remind the Ankara government of its responsibilities in this matter," the ministry said.
The Iranians were taken hostage on Saturday as they travelled in a bus to the airport in Damascus. That was the single biggest abduction of Iranians since the start of the Syrian uprising in March last year.
Salehi telephoned his Turkish and Qatari counterparts, Davutoglu and Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir Al Thani. Davutoglu responded by promising "to study the issue and to carry out efforts as in previous cases," the Iranian media reported.
Tehran accuses both Ankara and Doha of arming the Syrian rebels.
Salehi's brief visit to Turkey comes ahead of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's scheduled trip to Istanbul at the weekend.
For his part, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili moved to Damascus after his brief visit to Lebanon.
"Tehran would use all potentials leading to release of the 48 innocent pilgrims kidnapped in Syria," Jalili said.
Speaking to reporters upon arrival in the Syrian capital, Jalili stated "kidnapping innocent people is not acceptable anywhere in the world."
The official stressed that Tehran believes that not only the terrorists but also those who are assisting them in their crime are responsible for the abduction of the Iranian pilgrims.
As for the Syrian crisis, Jalili said only a "Syrian solution would resolve the problem and not those masterminded by the foreigners."
The official hoped that a national dialogue would remove all pressures being exerted on the Syrian nation.
Reports said that Jalili will meet senior Syrian officials on top of whom is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi will pay a snap visit to Turkey late Tuesday for talks on the Syrian crisis and 48 Iranians kidnapped there, officials said.
The Iranian foreign minister wanted to visit Turkey "at his own request," which was conveyed through diplomatic channels late Monday, a Turkish diplomat told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Salehi will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara, with the Syria conflict topping the agenda, he added.
The Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement quoted by the official news agency IRNA, that the situation of the pilgrims kidnapped in Damascus which Tehran blames on Syrian rebel forces fighting the regime's loyalist troops would be discussed.
"Considering that the so-called "Free Syrian Army" -- which claims to have abducted the Iranian pilgrims -- is backed by Turkey, the visit by the foreign minister aims to warn and remind the Ankara government of its responsibilities in this matter," the ministry said.The Iranians were taken hostage on Saturday as they travelled in a bus to the airport in Damascus. That was the single biggest abduction of Iranians since the start of the Syrian uprising in March last year.
Salehi telephoned his Turkish and Qatari counterparts, Davutoglu and Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir Al Thani. Davutoglu responded by promising "to study the issue and to carry out efforts as in previous cases," the Iranian media reported.
Tehran accuses both Ankara and Doha of arming the Syrian rebels.
Salehi's brief visit to Turkey comes ahead of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's scheduled trip to Istanbul at the weekend.
For his part, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili moved to Damascus after his brief visit to Lebanon.
"Tehran would use all potentials leading to release of the 48 innocent pilgrims kidnapped in Syria," Jalili said.
Speaking to reporters upon arrival in the Syrian capital, Jalili stated "kidnapping innocent people is not acceptable anywhere in the world."
The official stressed that Tehran believes that not only the terrorists but also those who are assisting them in their crime are responsible for the abduction of the Iranian pilgrims.
As for the Syrian crisis, Jalili said only a "Syrian solution would resolve the problem and not those masterminded by the foreigners."
The official hoped that a national dialogue would remove all pressures being exerted on the Syrian nation.
Reports said that Jalili will meet senior Syrian officials on top of whom is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org
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