A senior Iranian official hailed the two recent international meetings held in Vienna to resolve the Syria crisis under the auspices of the United Nations as a "positive step" toward ending over four years of conflict in the Arab country.
"For such efforts to prove fruitful in both the campaign against terrorism and completion of the political process, realities on the ground in Syria and the region must be taken into consideration," Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday.
At the end of the second round of Syria talks on Nov. 14, the 20 participants agreed on a political process leading to elections in two years.
"We welcome every positive step by various players involved toward the settlement of the crisis while respecting Syria's sovereignty, the Syrian people's vote and their right to decide their own political fate," Fars News Agency quoted him as saying in an address to a meeting of foreign ambassadors.
"Any decision or action [on Syria] should be consistent with the Syrian people' demands, under the UN mandate, in coordination with the Syrian government and in line with international law."
In another development, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed Syria's crisis and other regional issues with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on phone, IRNA reported.
