Iran:

No Place for Terrorist Groups in Syria Talks

Rasa - The Iranian foreign ministry underlined Tehran, Moscow and Ankara's efforts to find a roadmap to resolve the crisis in Syria, and announced that the terrorist groups are not welcomed in the Syrian peace talks.

News ID: 426373

Date: 08 January 2017 - 22:10

RNA - "The terrorist groups which have been blacklisted by the UN or are known by Iran and Russia as militant groups and terrorist groups will certainly have no place in the talks, and negotiations with them is useless because they have fully clear stances; they cannot adopt any measure but terrorist acts and aren’t interested in people's fate, life and properties and Syria's basic and economic infrastructures," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said in an interview with the Iran-based Arabic-language al-Alam news channel on Sunday.

He dismissed participation of any countries other than Iran, Russia and Turkey in the peace talks for the time being, and said adding new members will further complicate the job.

"But, finally, we can think about cooperation with any organization, group and country which can help establish ceasefire, peace and security in Syria sincerely and in full good will," Qassemi said.

In relevant remarks last week, Iranian Supreme Leader's top aide Ali Akbar Velayati underlined the importance of talks between the Syrian government and its allies before the start of the peace talks, and said the terrorist groups are not allowed to take part in the negotiations on the future of Syria.

"The dissidents who have been admitted to the negotiations can participate in the talks with the Syrian government; of course, the ISIL and al-Nusra are still considered as terrorist groups and in no way entitled to take part in these negotiations," Velayati told reporters on the sidelines of his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in Tehran last Sunday.

He said that the negotiations will be held between the Syrian government and the dissident groups who have agreed to give up fight in Astana of Kazakhstan, and added, "The Syrian government will naturally have the necessary consultations with its strategic friends, meaning Iran and Russia, before these talks."

Also, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani underlined that the war against the ISIL and al-Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah al-Sham Front) will continue in Syria, adding that any talks that weaken the sovereignty of the legal Syrian government are doomed to failure.

"Any political path and talks which weaken the sovereignty of the comprehensive and legal government over the entire territories of Syria or aim to give control over a part of the Syrian territories to the terrorist groups and foreign military occupation are against people's interests, a threat to the regional countries and doomed to failure," Shamkhani said in a meeting with Director of the Syrian National Security Bureau General Ali Mamlouk and Muallem in Tehran last week.

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