Mr. Ali Shamkhani arrived in Damascus on Sunday as part of Iran’s efforts to coordinate the peace process and bring centrality to Damascus, a city Mr. Shamkhani dubbed ‘capital of a strong and united Syria.’
Shamkhani hailed Assad’s effective and charismatic leadership in fighting terrorist groups and uniting public forces in securing the territorial integrity of the country. “Tehran, Damascus, and Moscow along with Resistance front, restored the initiative to be in hands of the front against terrorism through scoring dozens of victories on the ground; now political high ground favors Syrian government, where diverse political players, foreign as they are, had been overwhelming and made the situation difficult for a clear assessment,” Mr. Shamkhani told the meeting with Assad.
He reaffirmed Iran’s official line of policy which supported the government in Damascus in fight against violence and extremism; “the commitment of armed opposition provides testimony to the extent that their supporting governments would believe in the peace talks and ending bloodshed; if armed opposition groups feel that their supporters are reluctant in the negotiations, they definitely will change the course of action to fuel violence anew,” Shamkhani emphasized. “We believe Damascus should be the center of any political talks and should symbolize the national reconciliation to unite Syria; it is time for supporters of terrorists to take opportunity to rectify their conduct of the past to prevent further damage to their international position, an effort at least a country engaged in,” said the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
Shamkhani also highlighted the necessity of the humanitarian aid to the affected people to alleviate only a small part of the suffering inflicted upon them during the years of war and homelessness, an undertaking requiring international community cooperation.
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