Need for Political Solution in Syria

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed the need for intensifying efforts to reach a political solution in Syria and get out of military thinking. “I think what is necessary in Syria is we get out of these military strategies and military thinking and get into the need for a political solution,” added Zarif in an interview with Al-Monitor during his visit to New York on Sunday. “people have to stop thinking about military strategy and to start thinking what is the political strategy to end this bloodshed and to end this nightmare in Syria, and to accept the realities and to work for a national unity government,” he said. Asked about how long the Iranian military advisors would stay in Syria, the minister added that “we sent our advisers to Syria in order to be able to prevent the fall of Damascus into the hands of terrorists.”

“So we’re there in order to do something that is important for the international community, and that is to prevent extremists from winning, and whenever that’s not necessary, we don’t have any territorial ambitions on any country. The fact that Iran has not raised its flag in any place where we have our military advisers indicates to you that we don’t have any territorial ambitions.”