Iran welcomes peace talks on Syria, respects results

Iran's Foreign Ministry said Monday that it welcomes the imminent peace talks on Syria and would respect the outcomes.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said that the Islamic republic will respect the outcome of peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition groups planned to be held in the following days in Astana of Kazakhstan, Tasnim news agency reported.

Iran has no intention of imposing its views on participants in an upcoming round of political negotiations for peace in Syria, Qasemi said.

"Whatever decision they (the Syrian government and opposition) make, we will respect it," he said, stressing that Iran, at the same time, has not backed down from its stances on the need for preserving Syria's territorial integrity.

Qasemi expressed the hope that inter-Syrian talks would yield results and create a prospect for peace.

Iran has done its utmost to help restore peace to Syria, and it will attend the imminent peace talks "without any preconditions," Press TV also quoted the spokesman as saying on Monday.

According to the report, the Syrian government and the opposition groups reached a nationwide ceasefire deal in December, brokered by Russia and Turkey. The two sides also agreed to attend inter-Syrian talks in Astana.

The deal followed an earlier truce agreement in the Syrian city of Aleppo, which paved the way for the evacuation of remaining civilians and armed men and put back the northwestern city under Damascus control after years of fighting.

Qasemi also hailed a recent visit to Iran by the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, saying that the trip, made in a very appropriate time, was part of constant consultations between Iran and regional countries, including Syria.

Iran will not allow Syria to turn into a place where other countries can exert their influence, he stressed.

On Sunday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani also welcomed the agreements to resume peace talks on Syria in Kazakhstan.

Rouhani expressed the hope that the upcoming international peace talks on the future of Syria in Astana would be a major step towards the resolution of conflicts in the Arab states.

Resistance against terrorism and belief in diplomacy are two major criteria in tackling the problems in the region in general and Syria in particular, the Iranian president said in a televised speech on Sunday.

source: Xinhua