Iranian, German envoys stress peaceful settlement of regional crises

Iranian and German ambassadors to Beirut conferred on the latest developments in the region, and underlined the necessity for the settlement of regional crises through diplomatic way. Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Qazanfar Roknabadi met with his German counterpart Christian Clages in Beirut to discuss the latest regional developments, particularly the Syrian crisis, and their impact on Lebanon. During the meeting, Roknabadi reaffirmed Iran’s “principled” and “unchanged” stance on the right of all nations to decide their fate through free elections, stressing that Tehran rejects any foreign interference in the domestic affairs of other countries. The Iranian envoy also pointed to the acts of violence perpetrated by foreign-backed Takfiri militants against all religious groups in neighboring Syria, describing foreign financial and military support for militants as a great danger to the entire region. Clages, for his part, underlined that all countries share the common interest of preventing a military solution to the Syrian crisis, calling for a political settlement of the deadly turmoil, which has been plaguing the country since March 2011. 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. 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.