Iran Reiterates Support for President al-Assad After UN Security Council Resolution
TEHRAN –Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian announced that his country supports President Bashar al-Assad’s candidacy in any future elections, stressing that the Syrian people are the ultimate decision-makers about their fate.
Amir Abdollahian made the remarks on Saturday hours after the UN Security Council unanimously agreed a resolution endorsing an international roadmap for a peace process in Syria.
“It is expected that the new UN resolution would strengthen the trend of fight against terrorism and the political process based on the countries’ commitment and the Syrian people’s transparent vote,” he told FNA.
Stressing that the era of certain states’ instrumental use of terrorism to interfere in Syria is now gone, Amir Abdollahian said, “President Bashar Assad’s candidacy in future election is an issue up to him, and these are the Syrian people who should do the election and the Syrian people are merely qualified to decide about the leadership in Syria.”
He underlined that “independence, national unity and territorial integrity” are among the basic principles of the political solution in Syria.
In relevant remarks in November, Amir Abdollahian underscored the Syrian people’s right to decide their own fate, and said combatant President Bashar al-Assad is also entitled to file candidacy for elections.
“It is the right of any competent person, including President Bashar al- Assad, to become a candidate at the end of the political process; but it is the Syrian people who will decide,” the Iranian diplomat told FNA.
He, meantime, underlined that starting the political process in Syria depends on the establishment of truce in the country, and added, “The political process in Syria will not yield results without serious and effective fight against terrorism.”
“In Syria’s political process, the constitution which is put into referendum is the main criteria,” Amir Abdollahian said.
R.S