Leader: Syrian People Should Decide On Its Fate Not US, EU
Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution said on Sunday that the Syrian people, and not the Americans and the Europeans, should decide about its fate.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei made the statement in a meeting with the visiting Ghana President John Dramani Mahama, adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran has ever since its establishment in 1978 been a proponent of broadening and strengthening of ties with African countries.
He said that the oppressor powers, on the contrary, have been opposed to Iran’s cordial ties with the African nations and been instead promoting factional wars, terrorism and bloodshed in Africa.
‘This calls for close cooperation among independent countries,’ added Ayatollah Khamenei.
The supreme leader in response to the Ghana president on the plight of the Syrian people, said, ‘The root cause of the entire problems is the troublemaking of the oppressor powers, spearheaded by the United States and Israel, which comprise the core of ill-doings.’
In the meeting in the presence of President Hassan Rouhani, the Ghana president said that the plight of the Palestinian and Syrian people has saddened every nation, stressing the need for collective cooperation in defense of such oppressed nations’ rights.
President Mahama referred to the annoying presence of the terrorist groups in Asia and Africa, evaluating Iran’s basic anti-terrorist policy as praiseworthy.
He also announced full support for the Iranian supreme leader’s comment on the Syrian nation’s right to decide its own fate and appreciated Iran’s support for the freedom fighters in Africa on behalf of all such groups, especially the anti-apartheid movement of South Africa, of which he was once a member.
Sending troops to Syria detrimental in absence of gov’t request
On the other hand, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said Sunday that dispatching troops to Syria without request of Syrian government will escalate crisis and further complicate the situation.
He made the remarks in a meeting with Ghanaian National Security Coordinator Yaw Donkor.
Shamkhani said that the ideological basis and financial support to terrorist groups have been completely known and only global resolve will block the routes.
Shamkhani said that the roots of terrorism in the region and the entire world including Africa are the same.
He called for expansion of ties between Iran and African states as well as using capacity of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Discrimination, economic deprivation and cultural poverty are among the factors which can attract the youth towards terrorist groups, Shamkhani said, noting that global community should eliminate the grounds for terrorism to take shape.
He said that terrorism posed major threat to international security and stability.
He said that double-standard policies about the international campaign against terrorism by certain governments have triggered terrorism.
He drew attention of certain governments to the Charter of the United Nations and said that sending troops to Syria in absence of a request from the Syrian government will deteriorate the humanitarian situation in Syria.
Ghana is the land of opportunities and innumerable capacities for promoting cooperation between the two countries, Shamkhani said that Iran’s priority is to boost strategic ties with the countries which maintained their relations with Iran despite pressures by the arrogant powers.
Donkor, for his part, stressed the need for promoting ties between the two countries, saying that his country is interested to use Iran’s security experience in the fight against terrorism.
IRNA
R.S