Iran brushes aside ideas to remove Syrian regime

Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi Tuesday refused any ideas that would call for "removal" of the ruling regime in Syria. "There is no justification that the Syrian government can be toppled," Salehi said during a meeting with visiting Turkish assistant foreign minister for Middle East Affairs. He said Iran sought that security and stability be restored in Syria, as well as conflict be solved through dialogue. He said Iran was ready to host dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition. Salehi said Iran supported the international envoy Kofi Annan's plan "and we consider it the only way out of the current crisis." The Turkish official said the collapse of Syria would affect the entire region, saying the Syrian people should decided their own future.