Eradicating terrorism is first priority in Syria, Rouhani says

President Hassan Rouhani of Iran has said that it is the Syrian people who should decide who runs their country, however he noted that the “first priority” is to uproot terrorism in the country.

“It is all in the hands of the Syrians. It is for them to decide who is their leader,” he said in a Wednesday interview with TV channel France 2 and French radio Europe.

“We must all make efforts to eradicate terrorism in Syria and ensure that peace and stability return,” he said, according to the Tehran Times.

It is “not a question of a person, it is a question of security and stability,” he said.

He also said, “We must first of all, in Syria, eradicate terrorism. It is the first priority… We must create security to that the people can come home.”

“Is it possible to fight terrorism without the presence of a strong central government in Damascus? What country has ever managed to defeat terrorism without having a strong central government?” he said, stressing, “The Syrian government has to be a strong one to be able to battle terrorism.”

Since March 2011, Syria has been hit by an ongoing crisis which has so far claimed the lives of over 250,000 people and displaced nearly half of the country’s population within or out of its borders.

Iran is expected to participate in the fresh round of talks on Syria which is scheduled to be held in Vienna on Saturday.

“We want to protect the security, territorial integrity, unity… in Syria and we want a provision of a condition for a new democracy and reforms,” the president stated.

M.Wassouf