Larijani visits Syria as Russia-Turkey bicker over Patriot missiles

Activists say Syrian troops have shelled southern neighborhoods of the capital as they try to advance in rebel-held areas.              

Bombarded areas included Daraa, Idlib, Aleppo, Deir Zour, Darayya, and other Damascus neighborhoods leading to the death of three civilians.                  

Meanwhile activists called for holding protests nationwide following Friday prayers under the banner “the 11th hour has come, victory is near.”

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the shelling of Tadamon and Hajar Aswad came as government troops conducted raids in the central Damascus neighborhood of Bab Sreijeh.

Positions:    

Syria condemned the Turkish request submitted to NATO to deploy Patriot missiles along its borders with Syria, considering it to be a “provocative step.”

Tyrkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday that his country's request to deploy Patriot missiles should not worry Russia.     

During his meeting with Syrian National Coalition head, Moaz al-Khatib, in Ankara the Minister said Turkey's request was for defensive purposes.      

He explained that the reasons of such a request were due to Turkey's bordering Syria and suffering a 20-month old confrontation.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said that the deployment of Patriot missiles on the Syrian-Turkish border will only exacerbate tensions in the area.

Following his meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus, Iran’s parliament speaker Ali Larijani stressed that some parties seek risks in the region through creating problems in Syria.

“We always stress the pioneering role of the resistance in Syria and the importance of supporting it,” Larijani said, highlighting the necessity of carrying out democratic reforms in Damascus through political dialogue. “The militarization of the crisis will kill even more Syrians,” he concluded.

Larijani also met various Syrian leaders and officials from Palestinian factions.

For his part, President Bashar Assad stressed that Syria continues to make the national dialogue successful, while fighting terrorism.

Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011 with an uprising against Assad’s regime, inspired by other Arab Spring revolts.

The crisis has since morphed into a civil war. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the unrest, according to activists.


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AP/LBCI