(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - On Sunday, President Assad voiced his readiness for dialogue with the opposition and political parties in Syria. The Syrian leader also proposed general elections, adoption of a new constitution as well as a national reconciliation conference.
Speaking to reporters in his weekly press conference here in Tehran today, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said Assad's three-staged peace initiative falls within the framework of the six-point peace plan that the Islamic Republic has unveiled recently.
He urged all sides to support the plan, and stated, "All countries in the region and influential trans-regional countries should help and support the plan and help end the clashes and replace the status quo in Syria with an alternative political approach as soon as possible," Mehman-Parast said.
"Those who believe in supporting the rights of the Syrian people and claim to be advocates of the prevalence of democracy in different countries, including Syria, should know that the best way to materialize people's demand is to get their views and opinions in a proper, calm and stable atmosphere free from tension and violence."
In a speech in Central Damascus on Sunday, President Assad called for a reconciliation conference with "those who have not betrayed Syria", to be followed by the formation of a new government and an amnesty.
"The first stage of a political solution would require that regional powers stop funding and arming (the opposition), an end to terrorist operations and controlling the borders," he said.
"We will not have dialogue with a puppet made by the West," he said.
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.
The US and its western and regional allies have long sought to topple Assad and his ruling system. Media reports said that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.
The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling the President Bashar al-Assad's government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.
The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.
Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said in May that the flow of weapons - most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past - has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.
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