Syrian national dialogue will be held soon: Iran

TEHRAN,Oct.23(MNA) – Syrian national dialogue will be held in one of the regional countries in the near future, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announced in Tehran on Monday. Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks after the meeting he held with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. The Iranian deputy foreign minister said, “Syrian national dialogue will be held soon in one of the regional countries, or probably in Tehran, with the participation of representatives of all the people, political groups, the opposition, and representatives of the government.” “Of course, certain opposition groups have rejected this, but efforts are underway to convince them,” Amir-Abdollahian added. Iran, Russia discuss Syria Amir-Abdollahian and Bogdanov discussed the latest international and regional developments, including the situation in Syria. During the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian commented on the situation in Syria and said, “The views of various parties are becoming more similar, and they have reached the conclusion that they should emphasize a political solution in Syria.” He added, “We strongly support the Syrian people and (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad’s reforms, and we call on all parties to help enforce a ceasefire.” Bogdanov thanked Iran for playing a positive and active role in resolving the crisis in the Arab country, noting that the continuation of the current situation is not in the interests of regional countries and will cause the crisis to spread beyond the Syrian borders. He also said that Russia supports the recent proposal for the declaration of a ceasefire in Syria during the Eid al-Adha holiday, an Islamic holiday which starts on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah (October 26) and lasts several days. The Russian deputy foreign minister added that the Syrian crisis cannot be resolved through military means, saying that negotiations should be held between the Syrian opposition and the government. Bogdanov met with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on the same day.