海角大神

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is to visit聽Turkey聽on Tuesday for previously unscheduled talks expected to focus on聽Syria聽and a group of Iranians seized by rebels there, an Iranian diplomat in聽Ankara听蝉补颈诲.

Meanwhile, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council,听Saeed Jalili, arrived in聽Syria聽for talks with President聽Bashar al-Assad聽and other officials, Iranian state television IRIB said.

Iran has stood by its ally聽Syria聽despite the growing international pressure on Assad, while聽Turkey聽has been among the Syrian president's fiercest critics, demanding that he stand down to defuse a 17-month uprising against his rule.

础听Turkish Foreign Ministry聽official confirmed Salehi's visit, saying it included talks on regional issues with Foreign Minister聽Ahmet Davutoglu.

The Iranian diplomat said Salehi was expected to arrive in the afternoon and leave later on Tuesday.

"It is expected that the talks will take up the Syrian issue and the situation of the pilgrims聽kidnapped in聽Damascus, as well as bilateral issues," the diplomat told Reuters.

Jalili, who arrived in聽Syria聽after wrapping a visit to聽Lebanon, was scheduled to meet Assad and Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister聽Ahmad Arnous, IRIB said. Jalili planned to hold a press conference at聽Iran's embassy in Damascus聽on Tuesday, it said.

Jalili acts as the representative of Iran's ultimate authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah聽Ali Khamenei, and is also Iran's chief negotiator in聽Tehran's dispute with Western powers over its nuclear programm.

Khamenei decides Iran's foreign policy.

"We have always said that the solution to the problem in this country is democracy, which cannot be achieved through the export of arms and bloodshed," Jalili, referring to聽Syria, was quoted as saying by the聽Iranian Students' News Agency聽during a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour.

Iran has asked聽Turkey, as well as聽Qatar, to help secure the release of 48 Iranians seized by rebels in聽Syria聽on suspicion of being military personnel, though聽Tehran聽says they are pilgrims.

A Syrian rebel spokesman said on Monday that three of the Iranians had been killed in a government air strike in聽Damascus聽and warned the rest of them would be executed if the attacks did not stop. There has been no word of their fate since then.

Syrian rebels fighting to topple Assad accuse Iran of sending fighters from its Revolutionary Guard to help Assad's forces put down the uprising.

Tehran聽denies the charge and says the group was on a religious pilgrimage to聽Syria. Iranian media said on Saturday that the 48 had been abducted from a bus in聽Damascus, the latest in a string of kidnappings of visitors from the Islamic Republic.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister聽Hossein Amir-Abdollahian聽on Monday blamed聽Turkey, the US and聽Qatar聽for the kidnappings, and Iran summoned a diplomat inSwitzerland's embassy in Tehran, which looks after American interests in the absence of a US embassy there, over the kidnappings, Iranian media reported.

Iranian Parliament听厂辫别补办别谤听Ali Larijani聽on Tuesday blamed the聽United States聽and countries in the region for the killing of the Iranians.

"In the name of Islam, some of these governments have launched killings and even treat Iranian pilgrims聽in聽Syria聽with violence. These crimes are not something the Iranian nation will disregard," Larijani said in a speech in parliament aired on Iranian television. "The American regime and some countries in the region are responsible for these crimes. And they will receive their response in turn."

Tehran聽has accused聽Turkey聽and聽Qatar聽of helping rebels fighting to topple Assad. Several Iranians previously abducted in聽Syria聽have been released to Turkish authorities before returning to Iran.

(Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz in聽Ankara, Yara Bayoumy in Beirut and Yeganeh Torbati in Dubai; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jon Hemming and Alessandra Rizzo)