Iran not to allow foreigners to decide for Syria: Minister

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi has said that his country will not allow any foreign nation to decide for the Syrian people, after a "Friends of Syria" meeting in Doha pledged to arm the Syrian rebels.

"The Islamic republic will not allow, as it has proved, any foreign prescription to be imposed on the Syrians," Xinhua quoted Salehi as saying.

He said Iran was against arming Syrian opposition groups as such a move will "prolong the crisis, sabotage and bloodshed".

Iran and the West have accused each other of meddling in Syria's two-year-old conflict.

At a joint press conference with visiting Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, Salehi said both regional and non-regional states should help Syrians find a solution to the crisis themselves.

Earlier, the Friends of Syria meeting in Doha demanded Iran to stop its interference in Syria.

The meeting, attended by nations supporting the Syrian opposition, also urged Lebanon's Hezbollah Shiite movement to stop fighting alongside forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.