The deputy foreign minister says arming the Syrian opposition is in contradiction to the UN plan to bring peace to the crisis-hit Arab country.
Hossein Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with the deputy of the United Nations special envoy for Syria, Ramzi Ezzedine Ramzi, in Tehran on Friday, IRNA reported.
In the meeting, the two officials discussed the plan presented by UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura to secure a ceasefire in Aleppo, Syria. The official referred to the efforts by the US and its regional allies to equip and train the so-called moderate opposition forces in Syria and said, “While de Mistura’s plan to achieve a ceasefire in Aleppo is underway, training and arming moderate opposition groups in cooperation with some western and Arab countries are in contradiction to the plan, and the UN is urged to officially oppose the measure.”
Amir-Abdollahian also praised the efforts being made by de Mistura and his team to help tackle the crisis in Syria and stressed the need to have a realistic view on the developments in the country.
The deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs said, “Iran calls on the United Nations to play its due part between opponents and proponents (of the government) in Syria.”
The diplomat stressed the necessity of differentiating between the opposition and terrorist groups as an essential point in implementing the UN plan. He referred to the UN potential to play an effective role in finding a solution to the Syrian crisis and highlighted the need to consider national dialogue as part of a political solution to the crisis.
Significant Initiative
Ramzi, for his part, described Iran’s plan to help resolve the Syrian crisis as significant and called for the immediate implementation of the first step of the plan which calls for the declaration of a ceasefire in Aleppo and some other regions.
He elaborated on the UN plan to achieve a ceasefire in Aleppo and briefed Amir-Abdollahian on a report of the contacts and consultations held with the Syrian government and opposition groups as well as some key regional and international players. He also asked Iran to back the plan. The UN official touched on the positive view of Syrian officials about the plan and expressed hope that the ceasefire initiative in Aleppo would be put in place soon.
He stated, “If the initiative succeeds in Aleppo, similar plans can be implemented in other regions in Syria.” Ramzy said preserving the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the Arab country are the basic principles of the plan.
