MOSCOW, TEHRAN, (SANA)_ Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, renewed Russia's calls for a peaceful settlement to crisis in Syria, lashing out at the countries which have been calling for 'changing the regime in Syria'.

In press statements aired by Russia Today yesterday, Minister Lavrov called for a halt in provocations for violence, and for dialogue among all Syrians, asserting that such a Russian stance is what the international meeting in Geneva about Syria called for.

On his part, Ali Akbar Salehi asserted that ''there are a lot of weapons being smuggled into Syria. Many people from different countries are pouring into Syria and raising arms against the government. This aggravates the situation,"

Interviewed by Reuters, Minister Salehi added that his message to all countries that can play a role in this regard is to ''be very prudent and wise not to worsen the situation," reiterating Iran's support to UN Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan's plan.

Salehi underscored that Annan should be given enough chance to be able to push his proposal forward.

The Syrian people should be left to choose their leader in elections due in 2014 and until then countries should avoid aggravating the bloodshed by interfering on the ground, pointing out that a major part of the opposition in Syria belongs to extremist armed groups.

Al-Ibrahim