Saudi Arabia should curb its self-aggrandizement and take into account that nothing exceeds regional security in importance, a senior Iranian diplomat says.
Former foreign minister Kamal Kharazi made the remark on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday in Tehran on the war in Syria and Iran's regional role, IRNA reported.
"Iran has always been willing to have cooperation with Saudi Arabia to help defuse regional conflicts; nonetheless, Saudi officials have never shown steely determination to get seriously engaged in talks," he said.
According to Kharazi, the Syria crisis can only be settled through diplomacy as other alternatives have proven to yield no fruit.
Asked about the involvement of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria peace efforts, he asserted, "Assad can definitely play a key role in the process and Iran has always insisted that he should stay in power as long as his tenure is not over."
Highlighting the role of Syrians in shaping their own destiny, he said Syria's future should be built based on its own people's aspirations and whatever attempt to undermine the stability of the Arab state could not dampen Syrians' resolve.
UNSC Incompetence
"Iran is diametrically opposed to terrorism which explains why it strongly supports Syria," Kharazi said, reiterating that when the United Nations Security Council cannot safeguard nations' interests and rights, other coalitions have to be formed independent from the world body, a fact which indicates the UNSC's incompetence to deal with international issues.
Kharazi believes that the UNSC has taken a very passive approach to atrocities by terrorists and is seemingly reluctant to talk about the challenge.
The MSC meeting was part of the MSC Core Group Meeting series. It was co-hosted with the Institute for Political and International Studies and held in cooperation with the German government.
The meeting, which was co-chaired by German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, also chairman of the MSC, and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, hosted an exclusive group of around 60 participants to exchange views in an informal setting.
Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim Al-Jabouri, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government Nechervan Barzani, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi and Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid were among the dignitaries. Since its foundation five decades ago, the MSC has become a leading international platform for dialogue on foreign and security policy.
