Iran against suspension of Syria's OIC membership: FM

TEHRAN, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said that Iran is against a suspension of Syria's membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday.

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 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 notionally requires a two- third majority, is very likely to be passed and adopted.

"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 underway by some countries to suspend Syria's membership in OIC.

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