Tehran, Iran, November 11
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
Iran will act as an agent, distributing international humanitarian aid in Syria, said Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Mohammad Rauf Sheybani.
"Following announcement of readiness by various countries to help the Syrian people, I proposed that the Iranian Red Crescent Society would receive the aid and distribute it in Syria," he said, Trend's correspondent reported from Tehran.
Sheybani, who was speaking on the sidelines of an Iranian Red Crescent Society summit, said he has held talks with representatives from the United Nations and Switzerland on how to distribute aid in Syria.
According to Sheibani, Cyprus has already announced willingness to send aid to Syria via the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
"I also proposed that the Red Crescent would build a hospital in Syria," Sheibani said. "The Red Crescent has good experience in building hospitals in Lebanon and it can do the same in Syria."
Commenting on the conditions of Syrian refugees, Sheybani said the crisis has affected the whole region.
"The extent of the humanitarian crisis has showed itself through extensive migration as terrorism and extremism are dominating the country," he said.
Tehran has always expressed support for the Syrian government since it views the Assad regime as its main strategic ally in the region and as part of an "axis of resistance" against Israel.
Western countries accuse Iran of running military operations in Syria, but Tehran denies these accusations. Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that they only provide military consultations to Syrian forces.