Velayati Urges Warring Parties In Ukraine To Engage In Talks

Tehran, March 4, IRNA – Head of Research Center of Iranˈs Expediency Council, Ali-Akbar Velayati, on Monday called on warring parties in Ukraine to engage in talks to help restore peace and security in the region. Asked by reporters to comment on recent remarks by US President Barack Obama about halting enrichment in Iran, Velayati said Obamaˈs words do not count. What counts is what the Iranian negotiators did during the nuclear talks in Geneva and Vienna which were based on the guidelines of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, he said. ˈWe are committed to the agreements between the (Iranian) negotiators and the Group 5+1,ˈ he said. On the performance of UN-Arab League special envoy on Syria, Velayati said what Brahimi has done so far were not suitable and therefore they yielded no results. Brahimi should be realistic and protect the rights of the Syrian people, he said. Velayati, an advisor to the Supreme Leader on foreign affairs said that it was not lawful by Brahimi to put armed foreign agents and terrorists on one side of the table and the Syrian people on the other side./end