Tehran, SANA- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated his country’s stance that the solution to the crisis in Syria must be through political means, stressing that only the Syrian people are to decide their country’s future.
In a press conference with his visiting Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo in Tehran, Zarif said that those who try to impose their decisions on Syria and lay out terms on the presidential elections in it are contributing to the continuation of the crisis.
He added that external parties should quickly abandon selfishness and put their trust in the decision of the Syrian people and let the Syrians decide their own destiny through legal institutions.
He noted that the crisis in Syria will end if external parties abandon their measures which are aimed at making short-tem gains at the expense of the Syrian blood and if they let the Syrians live in peace and stability.
“Peace will not prevail in Syria by slogans which are spelled out by some neighboring countries, but through preventing the use of their territories as a path to terrorists’ infiltration into Syria,” he added.
The Iranian minister said Spain and Iran have similar stances about using peaceful ways to resolve the crisis in Syria, calling on the countries that seek a military intervention in Syria to give up on their dreams.
Zarif expressed his hope that today’s talks will contribute to enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation to benefit from chances to confront joint challenges.
“Spain, as a non- permanent UN Security Council member, has an important role in supporting the resolution of the crisis in Syria and can play an important role in crisis settlement in the region, ”Zarif added.
For his part, Margallo pointed out that his country’s government supports dialogue in Syria and calls for enhancing efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully, stressing the importance of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the need to combat terrorism.
He called for outlining joint programs to resolve the refugee crisis which has become a regional and global issue, pointing out that the Syrians are facing this humanitarian tragedy as a result of the presence of extremist groups.
Manar al-Frieh/Manal