Syrian People Should Decide Their Fate: Iran’s Zarif
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told UN special envoy for Syria on Thursday that Syrian people themselves should decide their future, reiterating Tehran's support for ending nearly four years of deadly violence in the Arab country.
“We expect major international players to have a constructive cooperation in maintaining Syria’s territorial integrity and resolving the issue of Syria in a political way," Zarif said in a meeting with Staffan de Mistura in Geneva.
He also hailed the UN efforts aimed at ending the crisis in Syria and announced that Tehran is ready to play its constructive role in this regard.
De Mistura, for his part, hailed Iran’s efforts and welcomed the country’s proposals for finding a political solution to the crisis in the Arab country.
The UN envoy also said that he is ready to continue talks with Tehran on the issue of Syria.
Iran has constantly stressed that the future of Syria should be decided by the Syrian nation alone.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had earlier announced that it would be a mistake to assume that the Syrian nation’s future can be decided from outside the country.
Rouhani said efforts should be directed to launch dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. In all, nearly 3 million Syrians have crossed into neighboring Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, while another 6.5 million remain displaced within Syria's borders.
