Iran will observe red lines in talks over Syria: Velayati
A senior Iranian official says Iran will actively take part in a new round of talks over the Syrian crisis while observing all the Islamic Republic’s redlines.
Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on international affairs, told IRIB on Saturday that Iran’s participation in the meeting on the Syrian conflict, which is scheduled to be held in the Austrian capital of Vienna on November 12, is by no means tantamount to a retreat by the Islamic Republic from its stance on the Arab country.
He said Iran supports the Syrian people in their resistance against extremist and terrorist groups, whom he described as the “sworn enemies” of the Syrians.
The Syrian people are suffering and losing their lives due to acts of terrorism supported by “the West, particularly the Americans, Zionists and reactionary [countries] in the region,” Velayati pointed out.
The Leader’s adviser emphasized that Iran would spare no effort to help the Syrian people not only in the defense sector but also in the political area.
“Undoubtedly, no one is entitled to interfere in Syria’s domestic affairs,” Velayati said, stressing that it is the Syrian people who should determine their own fate through intra-Syrian dialog.
He emphasized that the Syrian government has proved that it deserves to be the guardian of its nation, adding that if an election were to be held today, Syria’s incumbent President Bashar al-Assad would emerge victorious in such a vote.
The top Iranian official also expressed the Islamic Republic’s opposition to any plan which seeks to overthrow the Syrian president and said Tehran would only recognize plans which are accepted by the Syrian government and people.
The previous negotiations about the Syrian crisis were held in Vienna on October 30, gathering top diplomats from 17 countries, including Iran, as well as envoys from the United Nations and the European Union.
The participants agreed on respect for Syria’s unity and sovereignty as well as eradication of extremist groups operating in the Arab country, stressing that the political process to end the bloodshed there “will be Syrian-led and Syrian- owned.”
The foreign-backed militancy in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has so far claimed the lives of over 250,000 people and displaced millions.
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