Iran ask US to reconsider policy of arming Syrian opponents

Iran has emphasized the need for respecting Syria’s territorial integrity, asking Washington to reconsider its policy of arming certain groups of opponents of the Syrian government.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian stressed the negative effects of forwarding arms and munitions for irresponsible terrorist groups in the region, including those in Syria, and its negative aftermaths for the regional and international security in his Wednesday evening meeting with visiting UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Elliason.

Amir Abdollahian expressed Iran’s readiness for cooperation with the UN in establishing peace and stability in the region, referring to the constructive cooperation that the two sides have already had in various fields.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister recalled the destructive policies pursued by some regional and some trans-regional countries aimed at achieving certain objectives, arguing that such policies are truly futile.

He criticized the useless US airstrikes against ISIS and Washington’s self-contradictory policies in dealing with the notorious terrorism phenomenon.

The UN deputy secretary general, for his part, evaluated Iran’s key role in the region as significant, saying that the UN attaches great importance to consultations with Iran in efforts to solve regional problems.

Elliason said that extremism is today the most important problem sweeping the region, adding that it is a must to address the root causes of extremism and to launch a collective campaign to solve the problem.

He said he sees eye to eye with Iranian officials about solving the Syrian crisis only through political initiatives and that efforts should be made to stop sending arms and ammunitions to the terrorists.

The two sides agreed during the meeting on the need for close cooperation between Iran and the UN for the establishment of peace and stability in the region.