Iran, Russia Leaders Oppose Foreign Action in Syria: Kremlin

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in telephone talks on Wednesday that they reject foreign intervention in the Syria crisis, the Kremlin said.

"The sides spoke out in favor of the quickest resolution of the crisis by the Syrian people themselves through exclusively peaceful means and without foreign intervention," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The two leaders agreed that the situation in Syria was "dramatic" and required "constructive political dialogue between the authorities and the opposition without precondition," said the statement.

"At the same time, the leaders noted the importance of pursuing steady political, social and economic reforms in a calm atmosphere and in the interest of all Syrians," the Kremlin said.

Medvedev also held telephone talks Wednesday with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

The Kremlin said Medvedev sought to explain Russia's decision this month to veto together with China a U.N. Security Council draft resolution condemning President Bashar al-Assad for 11 months of violence that the opposition says has claimed over 7,600 lives.

Russia and Iran have remained two of the Syrian government's closest international backers throughout the bloodshed.

But Saudi Arabia's official SPA news agency said the king told Medvedev that his calls for Syrian dialogue were "futile" and that Russia should have "coordinated with the Arabs... before using the veto".