Iranian Deputy FM Dismisses Paris Conference as "A Show"
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has no interest in attending a conference in Paris with a “selective” guest list on counter-terrorism, an Iranian deputy foreign minister stressed, describing the conference as a mere “show”.
“We have no plan to attend this counter-terrorism meeting in Paris which is a show and a selective (meeting),” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Saturday.
"Iran cares about a real and non-selective battle against terrorism in the region and the world,” he added.
Describing Iran as the “first country that rushed to help Iraq in battling terrorism," Amir Abdollahian said, “We will continue our strong support for Iraq and Syria in the fight against terrorism.”
Iran has not been invited to a Monday’s meeting in Paris, amid US resistance to involving Tehran in the regional coalition it has been building in recent days to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group.
Meanwhile, Syria and Russia have warned that any unilateral US military action on Syrian territory would be a violation of its sovereignty.
On Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham had voiced doubt over the sincerity of the US-led coalition against the ISIL, saying, “The international coalition against ISIL which came to life after the NATO summit in Wales and is being shaped now, faces serious ambiguities and there is considerable doubt about its sincere and fundamental fight against terrorism.”
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is a militant group in Iraq and Syria believed to be supported by the West and some regional Arab countries. The terrorist group claims as an independent state the territory of Iraq and Syria, with implied future claims intended over more of the Levant, including Lebanon, occupied Palestine, Jordan, Cyprus, and Southern Turkey.
