Syrian Talks Should Be Facilitated: Iran’s FM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the sole way out of the lingering crisis in Syria is a political one that would entail peace negotiations among the Syrian groups, stressing that outsiders have no right to determine the result of such talks.
Iran has maintained since the beginning of crisis in Syria that the sole approach for resolving the conflict in the Arab country is a political solution deriving from inter-Syrian talks, Zarif said in London on Thursday, addressing a donor conference aimed at raising money for the Syrian people affected by a 5-year-old war.
The Iranian diplomat underlined that the foreign powers and players should facilitate and set the stage for those Syrian negotiations instead of trying to dictate the parameters or outcome of the talks.
He also stressed the need for joint efforts to end conflict in Syria and mobilize support for eradicating terrorism and extremist violence without any preconditions set by any side.
Zarif then called on the international community to act concertedly to prevent the extremist groups from having access to human, financial and military sources.
The first practical step is to refrain from purchasing oil from the terrorist groups and cut the flow of their incomes, he emphasized.
Some 70 leaders from around the world are attending the conference in London, which is being jointly hosted by Britain, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations.
The event is built on 3 previous conferences that have been held in Kuwait.
The 2016 UN inter-agency appeals for the Syria crisis are an estimated $7.73 billion. An additional $1.2 billion in funding is required by affected regional governments as part of national response plans.
One of the aims of the conference in London is to ensure there are school places for all refugee children in the region by 2017, as well helping the host countries to provide places for their own children.
