Iranian Foreign Minister spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham told reporters on Tuesday that Mohammad Javad Zarif’s regional tour which began yesterday with a visit to Lebanon is aimed at discussing various points of mutual interest, the regional developments as well as the crisis of terrorism and extremism.
She added that the Iranian foreign minister will also propose a new peace plan for resolving the Syrian conflict and confer with other ministers the impacts of Iran and the 5+1 recent nuclear conclusion.
“Iran’s policy toward the Syrian crisis has been, from the very beginning, based on three logical principles: respecting the legitimate right of Syrian people to reform and determine their own future; opposing foreign interference which intends to settle scores with Syria over the country’s independent policies; and opposition to the use of terrorism for the realization of political objectives,” said Afkham.
Afkham added that Iran’s four-point plan for helping the resolution of Syrian crisis is within the same three principles and will be proposed after consulting with the Syrian government and other influential players in the region.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has been always of the firm belief that the crisis in Syria does not have a military solution and must be ended through a political and diplomatic strategy based on dialog and agreement,” she said.
Iranian foreign minister Zarif started the second round of his regional tour on Tuesday by visiting the Lebanese capital city of Beirut. He is scheduled to leave Beirut for Damascus today in order to hold talks with top Syrian officials. Zarif was slated to visit Turkey after Lebanon but his visit has been postponed to another date. The Iranian diplomat is due to visit Pakistan, India and Russia in the upcoming days.