Upon his arrival in the Austrian capital city of Vienna on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded to the questions posed by journalists.
"It is not a new topic to put an end to a war in Syria which was ignited by foreign hands and is stoked by supports for extremists,” said Zarif.
The Iranian minister who is attending the so-called international talks on Syrian crisis for the first time, accepted the invitation after many diplomats from across the globe had demanded Iran’s presence in talks, against the intention of the US and KSA.
“Allegedly, those who were trying to solve the issue without Iran’s advice, led to nowhere and now they have figured it out that it is impossible to resolve the crisis without Iran,” Zarif reiterated.
He underlined Iran’s emphasis on the will of Syrians, saying that it is only the right of Syrians to decide for their future.
Inviting other countries to stop intervention in Syria, Zarif called it a responsibility of all to facilitate the path to a national unity in Syria and collaboration in fighting against terrorism and extremism.
“Iran accepted the invitation to present its solution for the crisis in Syria,” said Zarif adding that, “We give our idea to the world to end a crisis which has led the massacre and displacement of millions of innocent civilians.”
In response to a question over conditions set for Iran to attend the Vienna talks, Zarif dismissed the claims and reassured that Iran never goes under any condition for international talks and conferences.
“We believe that Iran has been playing constructively in the region to establish peace and stability, thus no conditions were set for Iran, and if there were any, the Islamic Republic would not accept them,” asserted the chief of Iran’s diplomacy.
“We believe that any solution offered for resolution of problem in Syria should be in line with unanimous principles like the war on terrorism and extremism, respect to sovereignty of nations, and observing the rights of the people of Syria,” Zarif elaborated on features of a solution to be agreed by Iran.
He also approved that separate talks will be held on the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The JCPOA is the nuclear deal between Iran and the 5+1 clinched in Vienna on July 14.
Answering the question on the time to start implementing the JCPOA, Zarif declared that it would be done when our requirements are met.
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