Syrians Should Shape Their Destiny: Iranian MP

Any decision made in the peace talks underway between Damascus and opposition groups in the Kazakh capital, Astana, is required to safeguard the interests of the Syrian nation, said the Iranian lawmaker Hossein-Ali Haji-Deligani, according to a Farsi report by ICANA.

“Astana talks are being held at Iran’s initiative. A number of other countries are also cooperating with Iran is this regard. It is good news that these meetings are being held. The US and those states that have helped form terrorist groups in Syria and are backing them should not be authorized to play a decisive role in these talks.”

He said Iran favours an integrated Syria, a feature the country already has, adding, “We also maintain that the Syrian people must be in control of their own destiny. We have earlier shown this. The country’s President Bashar al-Assad has also been elected with the majority of the votes.”

Astana talks could lead to solutions for resolving the Syrian crisis, said Haji-Deligani.

“This is while the terrorists in Syria have come to the end of the road and no longer maintain a firm foothold in the region. We are required to believe that we have the upper hand in the negotiations as the terrorists are not as powerful as they were.”

He concluded that Astana talks are a prelude to overcoming the crisis in Syria.