Iran opposes isolation of Syria

TEHRAN - Iranian officials voiced their opposition against the isolation of Syria and called the US no-fly zone plan an "ominous plot" in response to the recent moves by some regional countries as well as the West on the Syrian crisis.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that the Islamic republic will by no means accept suspension of Syrian membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the official IRNA news agency reported.

Addressing reporters during his weekly press briefing, he said that certain countries may decide on the suspension of the Syrian membership at the OIC during the meeting in Saudi Arabia's Mecca but Tehran will never accept it.

Foreign ministers of the OIC proposed Monday to suspend Syria from the body at a meeting in Saudi Arabia, while a formal decision looks likely to be adopted on Wednesday.

Top diplomats of the OIC member states made the proposal at a preparatory meeting for an extra OIC summit scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

The formal decision on Syria, which requires a two-third majority, is very likely to be passed and adopted.

Also, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said that Iran is against a suspension of Syria's membership in the OIC, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday.

"I'm openly against the suspension of the membership of any country, any organization," Salehi was quoted as saying.

By suspending the membership of a country, you are not moving towards resolving an issue, said the Iranian minister, referring to the attempts made by some countries.

He said that OIC countries must help to resolve the Syrian issue and restore peace and stability to the region.

On Tuesday, Mehmanparast referred to the participation of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the OIC conference in Mecca and said that Ahmadinejad's participation shows that Tehran is seriously resolved to help settle the regional crises, according to semi-official Fars news agency.

"President Ahmadinejad's presence at the conference shows our serious will and intention to solve the regional crises peacefully, " he was quoted as saying.

He added that the Muslim world should be unified in order to confront the enemy's plots in the region. ?

Mehmanparast on Tuesday warned against the United States' probable imposition of a no-fly zone in Syria and urged regional countries to prevent from being engaged into such measures, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

"Unfortunately, the American side plays a destructive role in the Middle East developments," said the spokesman, adding that the United States is preparing to repeat its plot in Libya for Syria.

The US plan of imposing a no-fly zone in Syria shows an " ominous plot" aimed at preparing the ground for a military intervention in the country, he was quoted as saying.

"Regional countries should not allow such measures in the region" to happen, he added.

In her Sunday visit to Turkey, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed that the United States is considering a no-fly zone option in Syria to address the conflict in the Arab country.