Xinhua: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, expressed Monday his country’s opposition to the creation of a buffer zone in Syria. Xinhua
TEHRAN (Xinhua) — Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, expressed Monday his country’s opposition to the creation of a buffer zone in Syria.
Amir-Abdollahian said that creating a buffer zone in Syria will further complicate the situation in the country, semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
The Iranian diplomat warned against the dire consequences of attacking Syria on the whole region.
“Non-regional and regional players have turned Syria to a haven for extremism and al-Qaida as well as a hub for spreading violence to all the region,” Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying.
The remarks came after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s statements about the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone in Syria in the event of proven use of chemical weapons by the Syrian army against the opposition groups.
On Monday, a senior Iranian military official rejected the ” allegations” of using chemical weapons by the Syrian government against opposition groups as “ridiculous,” Press TV reported.
“Westerners accuse the Syrian government of using chemical weapons while such a claim is very ridiculous and fabricated,” chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said.
Firouzabadi said “terrorists” fighting Syrian government “are seeking to protect the interests of the United States and Zionists in a bid to crush the spirits of the Syrian nation,” according to Press TV.
U.S. President Barack Obama has recently warned the Syrian government that using chemical weapons would be a “game changer.”
Syria has denied the accusation and Information Minister Omran al-Zouebi told Russian television Saturday that the U.S. and British accusations are a “barefaced lie.”
Moreover, Chairman of Iran’s Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that recent claims by the United States about the use of chemical weapons in Syria shows Washington’s desperation in confronting the Syrian nation and government, Press TV reported.
“Leveling false allegations against the Syrian army regarding the use of chemical weapons is another sign of the weakness and inability of the United States and its allies in confronting the Syrian government and nation,” said Boroujerdi during a meeting with Syria’s ambassador to Iran Adnan Mahmoud on Sunday.
The Iranian lawmaker reiterated Iran’s support for bringing stability and peace into the war-torn Arab country, saying that the Islamic republic “will spare no effort to restore peace and security in the country.”
Also, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that insecurity of Syria will jeopardize the whole region.
“If Syria becomes insecure, the security of other regional countries will be jeopardized, and this will threaten the entire region,” Ahmadinejad said at a meeting with Essam el-Haddad, advisor to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.
The Iranian president called for stepped-up efforts to resolve the ongoing unrest in Syria through understanding and dialogue, said Press TV.
Ahmadinejad said Iran and Egypt are among important countries which can resolve all issues by supporting each other.
El-Haddad, for his part, said Egypt calls for fundamental measures to end the ongoing bloodshed and conflict in Syria as soon as possible.
In the meantime, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said his country is ready to host the next meeting of the quartet group on Syria, semi-official Fars news agency reported Sunday.
Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Guinea- Bissau’s foreign minister here in Tehran, Salehi said that he has contacted his counterparts in the group — foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — in a bid to speed up diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the Syrian crisis, according to the report.
“A foreign ministerial meeting was decided to be held in the near future and we voiced our preparedness to host the meeting,” Salehi said.
