Iran Welcomes Any Truce Respecting Syrians’ Rights: Velayati
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran's Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati reiterated the country’s determination to help resolve the prolonged Syrian crisis and said Tehran welcomes any ceasefire that respects the rights of the Syrian nation.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Tuesday after his meeting with the former Iraqi oil minister, Velayati pointed to a recent meeting on Syria in the Kazakh capital of Astana and said, “Undoubtedly, the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes any ceasefire that is based on rationality, balance, and justice and recognizes the rights of the Syrian people and the legitimate government of the country.”
The talks should be held between the Syrian opposition and the country’s government and finally help end the war, said Velayati, who is a top adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.
He further emphasized that those countries that have deployed their forces to Syria without the permission of the country’s government should stop doing so and avoid further interference in the internal affairs of the Arab country.
Representatives from Iran, Russia, and Turkey kicked off a technical meeting in Astana on Monday to discuss details of the implementation of the Syrian ceasefire agreement.
The meeting came two weeks after the three countries reached an agreement in Astana to create a trilateral mechanism for monitoring breaches of a fragile ceasefire established in late December.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
In the meantime, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy.
Tehran insists that the Syrian nation is the only side that has the right to shape the future of its own country, rejecting foreign intervention with the use of force.
