kayhan.ir

News ID: 23825
Publish Date : 13 February 2016 - 21:53
FM Zarif:

Up to Syrians to Decide Assad Future

TEHRAN (Press TV) – Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday the Syrian people must decide about the future of President Bashar al-Assad.
Zarif made the remarks while speaking to reporters in the German city of Munich in response to earlier comments by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir about Assad’s future and the political situation in Syria.
"A political solution will be possible with the presence of Assad. Neither we nor they (Saudi Arabia and the U.S.) can make a comment in this regard,” Zarif said at the end of his visit to Germany, where he delivered a speech at the 52nd Munich Security Conference (MSC).
"A decision about the future of Syria must be taken by the Syrian nation. People have the right to express their views and this decision only rests with the Syrians,” he added.
On the eve of the Munich talks, Kerry told The Washington Post that in case of lack of seriousness by Russia and Iran for the resolution of the crisis in Syria, "then there has to be consideration of a Plan B.”
He added that "Plan B” would "lead to a coalition against (Daesh) and also to support the opposition against Assad.”
The Saudi foreign minister also told CNN in Munich that if the Syrian political process fails, President Assad will have to be removed "by force."
"I believe Bashar al-Assad is weak and I believe Bashar al-Assad is finished," Jubeir said.
On Friday, Zarif said a "zero-sum perspective” on regional issues will result in "total loss.”
Following a marathon meeting in Munich aimed at resurrecting Syria peace talks that collapsed last week, major negotiators agreed on Friday to a cessation of hostilities in Syria and facilitation of delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged Syrian towns.
"There is no lose-win game in our world today,” said Zarif. "Each one of us should accept certain principles and enter into dialogue.”
He called on regional countries to reconsider their "paradigms,” adding, "We have to change this paradigm. I can assure you. Iran is ready.”
Zarif said the countries in the region are facing "common threats” that are causing problems for "our brothers in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, even in Afghanistan and Central Asia.”
The Iranian minister also cited the "challenge of sectarianism” and said "that’s a threat to all of us.”
"We have a common opportunity, common challenges, common threats and a better future,” said Zarif.
He recommended countries in the region to "start redefining problems” and "set aside” their past differences instead of remaining "prisoner of the past.”
The Iranian foreign minister further pointed to Riyadh's decision to break relations with Tehran, saying the two countries must not follow a policy of mutual exclusion; however, Saudi Arabia has been seeking to eliminate Iran from political equations, including in the international negotiations on Syria.
"Iran and Saudi Arabia cannot exclude each other from the region," he said.
Zarif added that Tehran is prepared to cooperate with Riyadh to resolve regional issues.
"We are prepared to work with Saudi Arabia ... I believe Iran and Saudi Arabia can have shared interests in Syria," he said, adding, "We need to work together."
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 3 following demonstrations held in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad by angry protesters censuring the Al Saud family for the execution of prominent cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Some people mounted the walls of the consulate in Mashhad while incendiary devices were hurled at the embassy in Tehran. Some 100 people were detained over the acts of transgression. Iranian officials have strongly condemned the attacks. The international community has voiced outrage against the execution of the spiritual leader, who used to be a vocal critic of the kingdom’s policies.
On the sidelines of the Munich conference, the Iranian foreign minister also held a meeting with the U.S. secretary of state, during which they discussed ways to implement a nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries last July.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia – plus Germany started to implement the agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on January 16.
After JCPOA went into effect, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the U.S. were lifted. Iran, in return, has put some limitations on its nuclear activities.
The nuclear agreement was signed on July 14, 2015 following two and a half years of intensive talks.