Iran’s FM: No Role for Extremists in Syria’s Future
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is in New York to attend a new round of talks on war-torn Syria’s fate, stressed on Thursday that no terrorist group can play a role in the future of the Arab country.
Terrorists and extremist groups who have the blood of innocent people of Syria on their hands cannot have any role in Syria’s future, Zarif told the IRIB news agency upon his arrival in the US city.
He urged coordination of the global community against terrorists and extremists, saying such international cooperation is needed to prevent terrorism from being used as a foreign policy tool.
Zarif further regretted the preconditions set by certain foreign sides for the resolution of Syria’s crisis, saying that they would just prolong the conflicts in the country.
The crisis should be resolved through a Syrian process without foreign pressure, interference, or preconditions, the Iranian minister went on to say, reaffirming that all Syrian people should be involved in making decisions about their future.
The New York meeting comes following two rounds of talks held in the Austrian capital of Vienna on October 30 and November 14 to discuss settlement of the ongoing crisis in Syria.
The participants agreed in the last negotiations to meet again in “approximately one month” to review progress toward a ceasefire and the start of a political process in the violence-scarred country.
Influential countries like Russia, the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, as well as representatives from the Syrian government and opposition groups have taken part in the recent negotiations on Syria.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with Takfiri terrorists from various groups, including the Daesh, currently controlling parts of it.