Reforms Necessary in Syrian Gov’t: Iranian President

“From the very beginning [of the civil war in Syria], the Islamic Republic of Iran believed that the terrorists – who have come from all regional and ultra-regional countries to Syria to fight against Syrian people in the most cruel way – should be countered, and an end should be put to this trend,” President Rouhani said in a Monday press conference.

However, he added, the Syrian ruling system should also undergo a series of reforms.

“Iran has always maintained that the only way to resolve Syria’s problem is the ballot box. Ballot box is recommended for the entire region,” he went on to say, according to a Farsi report by the president’s website.

He further expressed the hope that reforms are realized in Syria, stressing that such changes are necessary for the Arab country.

Meanwhile, he pointed to the recent US strike on a Syrian airbase on the pretext of an alleged chemical attack blamed on the Syrian president, and said such pretexts are “neither documented nor clear”.

Iran has proposed formation of “an international fact-finding committee” to investigate the matter, Rouhani said, reminding that both him and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had stated that “it will be easy” to find out about the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“What if this committee goes there and finds out this has been done by the terrorists? What will the US answer then?” Rouhani asked, as reported by Press TV. “What will become of Syria and the region’s situation if terrorists are to find out that the US will support them whenever they spread some gas?”

The American actions in Syria contradict the international law, logic, and other countries’ interests, he asserted, saying that those states, which cheer Washington for its involvement in the Arab country do so as it reinforces the terrorists.