By David Rosenberg

Tehran, Iran

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi on Wednesday urged Syria and Turkey to peacefully resolve their differences for the sake of security in the region.

Referring to Turkey's jetting down incident, the minister called on both the sides to take efforts to ease tensions. Vahidi warned that the issue, if not resolved immediately, may engulf all the countries in the region.

Turkey on Friday accused Syria of shooting down its Air Force jet as well as a rescue plane over international waters – a charge Damascus denies and insists that the Turkish jet instead entered its airspace. Turkey then sought NATO's suggestion under Article IV of the North Atlantic Treaty, which allows any NATO member nation to consult its allies in case their territorial integrity or security is threatened. NATO, hence, called an emergency meeting and supported its member.

Iranian minister denounced NATO's politically motivated stand on the issue with a warning that foreign interference would endanger friendly relations between the countries in the region.

Meanwhile, Syria on Wednesday walked out of a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meeting where the chair of the Commission of Inquiry on Syria highlighted the deteriorating human rights situation in the conflict-hit country in its latest report.

Before leaving the debate in Geneva, Syrian ambassador Faisal Khabbaz Hamoui said that they would not attend the flagrantly political meeting. Hamoui also criticized the report, describing it as a "war of misinformation against Syria". The report claimed rising cases of sectarian killings and pro-government militia's involvement in May's Houla massacre.

Meanwhile, a local Syrian daily Al-Quds al-Arabi on Wednesday claimed that the Syrian used Iran-made anti-aircraft gun to shoot down the Turkish plane last weekend. According to the paper, Damascus had bought the gun two years ago from Tehran.

 

Cyprus plans foreign nationals' evacuation from Syria

Nicosia, Cyprus

Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis on Wednesday announced evacuation of foreign nationals as well as Syrians with dual nationalities from the crisis-hit Middle Eastern nation - Syria.

"We are now preparing with our EU partners for the possible evacuation (from Syria). We have a crisis management center that we have strengthened," said the minister, whose country is taking over the rotating EU presidency on July 1.

In 2006, Cyprus successfully evacuated 65,000 foreign nationals from Lebanon during that summer's Lebanon-Israel war. This is second such evacuation since then.

Kozakou-Marcoullis said that she is deeply concerned with Syrian crisis because of its geographical locations from her country. Her country is hardly 100km away from the shores of Syria and Libya. If this conflict deepens further, Europe will also have to face its affect similar to what Italy and Malta suffered after uprising in Libya. "It happened with recent uprisings in North Africa, with Italy, with Malta, and this is why one of the inherited priorities of the presidency is the conclusion of this very important European common asylum system," she stated.

"In every Foreign Affairs Council (meeting) I keep reminding our European counterparts about the geographical proximity as well as about the dangers and the threats. If these potential refugees and asylum seekers do not come by boat and sea, they will come through the occupied areas and this is our biggest problem right now," said Kozakou-Marcoullis.

She also urged Europe to do everything to avoid a military intervention, adding that if it happens the explosive situation could not be contained only to Syria.

In a separate development, Russia has reportedly suspended the sale of $100 million worth of advanced S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria. According to Russia's The Vedomisti business newspaper, Russia's top defense contractor Almaz-Antey and Syria had signed the sale contract last year.

The move came at the end of President Vladimir Putin's this week's Israel visit. S-300 is considered as the world's most advanced multi-target anti-aircraft missile systems, which can track as many as 100 targets simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen on seeing Iran at an international meeting on the Syria conflict at the weekend – a proposal out rightly rejected by the US.

Speaking at a news conference after meeting Jordan's King Abdullah II, Putin warned, "The case would get complicated if Iran is ignored."

Iran Wants Turkey and Syria to Resolve Jet-Downing Issue Diplomatically | News of the World