Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has said it is an "ethical duty" to support the Syrian people against the "oppressive regime" in Damascus. His speech at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran on Thursday prompted a walkout by the Syrians. "Our solidarity with the struggle of the Syrian people against an oppressive regime that has lost its legitimacy is an ethical duty as it is a political and strategic necessity," Morsi said. "We all have to announce our full solidarity with the struggle of those seeking freedom and justice in Syria, and translate this sympathy into a clear political vision that supports a peaceful transition to a democratic system of rule that reflects the demands of the Syrian people for freedom." His comments sparked a walkout by the Syrian delegation. Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Morsi's speech "incites continued bloodshed in Syria". Al Jazeera's Imran Khan, reporting from the summit, said: "Morsi's comments have caused an unease feeling, especially for the Iranians who are close to Syria." Morsi's visit to Iran is the first by an Egyptian leader since 1979. NAM was established in 1961 by countries that wanted to counterbalance the dominance of the US and Soviet Union during the Cold War. It meets once every three years but its relevance on the international stage has declined significantly since the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. The crisis in Syria is on the agenda for the two-day summit, as are human rights and nuclear disarmament.
