BEIRUT – Syrian security forces kept up a deadly crackdown on dissent Thursday as the embattled regime faced surprising calls to end the violence from its closest ally, Iran, in a sign of growing alarm over the 6-month-old uprising. In a live interview in Teheran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Syrian President Bashar Assad should back away from his violent crackdown and talk to the opposition. ‘There should be talks’ between the Syrian government and its opponents, Ahmadinejad told Portuguese broadcaster Radiotelevisao Portuguesa late…
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Syrian ally Iran urges dialogue, end to violence