Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 31
By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:
The Iranian deputy foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has called on the UN's mediator in the Syrian conflict, Staffan de Mistura to remain vigilant against terrorists during the Syrian peace talks in Geneva.
Amir-Abdollahian told de Mistura on phone on Jan. 31 that the terrorists with new faces should not be allowed in the talks, IRNA news agency reported.
Iranian deputy minister expressing his country's support for the peace talks added that only Syrian people must decide about the fate of their country.
A UN Security Council resolution on December 18 approved a draft resolution on peace process in Syria. According to the resolution, Syrian government and opposition groups should attend peace talks to find a solution for putting an end to the crisis.
The UN especial envoy will oversee the Syrian government and the main opposition bloc, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), discussing the country's fate, while Syrian Kurdish group the PYD, the Islamic State terrorist group (IS) as well as al-Nusra Front were not invited to the talks.
The HNC has urged the government to release civilians from jails, stop air strikes and allow the humanitarian aid to be delivered into besieged towns.
Over the past five years more than 250,000 people have died and at least 11 million have been displaced in Syria since the crisis broke out in 2011.