Iran seeks a peaceful solution to crisis in Syria, says Salehi

TEHRAN (ST)-The participants of the Syrian national dialogue meeting, which was held in Tehran on Sunday, emphasized the importance of a halt to the violence in Syria. 

The announcement was made by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi during a press conference held after a closed-door meeting.

About 200 Syrian citizens, including religious leaders, party leaders, political figures, tribal chiefs, and representatives of Syrian opposition groups, as well as representatives from Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, and a number of other countries, attended the meeting, which was held on the theme of “No to Violence, Yes to Democracy.” 

During the press conference, Salehi said that Iran “is seeking a peaceful Syrian-Syrian solution without foreign interference.”

Salehi stated that it was agreed that “a follow-up committee to be established. It was also agreed that members of the follow-up committee, with their own agreement, be chosen from among their intellectuals and a number of people who represent various groups.”

 “The follow-up committee is supposed to pursue the issue of national dialogue and promote national dialogue among other groups that were invited, but unfortunately did not attend for their own reasons, and we respect their reasons and justifications,” he added. 

In addition, Salehi said that the participants of the meeting emphasized that Syria’s independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity should be respected.

They also stated that support should be provided to the Syrian people and Syria’s borders should be controlled, Salehi noted.

The Iranian foreign minister also announced that a number of relevant meetings will be held on Monday. 

Salehi also warned against sending weapons to Syrian armed groups, affirming   that this would threaten regional stability and increase the ‘risk of terrorism’.

 “Some countries envisage arming the opposition with heavy and semi-heavy arms,” Salehi said.

“In reality, they seek to legitimize publicly what they have been doing in secret,” Salehi said, without naming any country.

Ramin Mehmanparast ,the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman ,expressed hope that the Syrian national dialogue meeting would pave the way for the fulfillment of the demands of the Syrian people.     

 Speaking to the Tehran Times on the sidelines of the meeting, Mehmanparast said, “The meeting that was held today is a starting point for national dialogue between representatives of various walks of life and government representatives.”

Iran hopes that the meeting will produce good results for the Syrian people and pave the way for the fulfillment of their demands through a democratic process, the Foreign Ministry official noted.

M.D