Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 12
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
An Iranian top diplomat has said that foreigners cannot decide the fate of countries in the region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged foreigners to stop meddling in the Syrian crisis, adding that only other nations in the region were eligible to make decisions on the crisis.
"Regarding the Syrian issue, our policy is clear. We believe there are no military solutions to end the regional crisis. The existing problem is the foreigners' meddling, and this should be stopped," Iran's Young Journalists Club quoted him as saying at a meeting with prominent Iranian clerics in the religious city of Qom on Nov. 12.
"The people of the region should decide on the fate of (neighboring) countries; others cannot decide for our region. Others should only pave the way to resolve the problems," he added.
Some 20 countries, including President Bashar Al-Assad's key allies and opponents, are preparing to attend the second round of the latest peace talks on Nov. 14 in a bid to end the Syrian crisis, while Assad's fate remains the main sticking point in the talks.
The first round of talks, held in Vienna on Oct. 30, failed to reach an agreement on Assad's future, as Tehran had expressed support for President Assad's government, while rival Saudi Arabia demanded Assad leave the country.
Zarif further touched upon Iran's nuclear deal with the West and said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was being executed in Iran, under the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's directives and the bills approved by parliament and the Iranian Supreme National Security Council.
Iran and the P5+1 group of countries agreed on July 14 to enforce the JCPOA to curb Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of most international sanctions.
According to the JCPOA, Tehran is committed to reducing the number of centrifuges it holds.