Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made the remarks in a Wednesday interview with broadcaster France 2 and French radio Europe 1, ahead of a new round of international talks on Syria in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on Saturday.
The President stressed that without a strong central government, Syria cannot defeat terrorism; “the Syrian question is not about a certain individual but the nation as a whole; the question of security and stability of Syria, the question of the displaced, humanitarian issues and terrorism. These are the real questions,” said Rouhani, noting that certain people are trying to divert the debate on Syria away from the questions that matter.
Highlighting the role of the Syrian people in making their own decisions in regard to the future of their country, President Rouhani added, “first and foremost, we must fight terrorism in Syria. Our priority is to drive the terrorists out of Syria and secure the return of Syrian people to their own homes.”
On Iran’s participation in the next Syrian peace talk in Vienna on Saturday and what the Islamic Republic pursues in the talks, the President said “what we want is the return of security to Syria and defeating terrorism. We want the territorial integrity of Syria to be preserved and the conditions be provided for holding elections. We want the Syrian nation to decide for their own future.”
President Hassan Rouhani is visiting Paris as part of a four-day tour of Italy and France beginning November 14. The trip makes him the first Iranian president to travel to Europe in a decade.
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