Gone is era of militarism, says Iran’s Shamkhani

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) says the futility of Saudi military aggression against Yemen proved that militarism could no longer repress the determination of nations.

“The experience of Yemen is a big lesson for the countries in the region and the world to know that the era of militarism for quashing the determination of nations is over and that unilateral and strong-arm tactics would bear no fruits,” Ali Shamkhani said in a meeting with the visiting Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad on Thursday.

The Iranian official drew a parallel between the crisis in Yemen and the long drawn-out conflict in Syria, saying both stem from the instrumental use of terrorism by foreign powers.

Shamkhani reiterated that the only solution to the crisis in Syria and Yemen would be for the warring sides to engage in national dialogue.

Saudi Arabia’s military campaign was launched without a UN mandate in a bid to undermine the Ansarullah movement and to restore power to the country’s fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

According to reports, nearly 1,000 people have been killed during the aggression.

Shamkhani also criticized “suspicious efforts” by some countries in training new terrorist groups to operate in Syria, saying it will backfire on these governments as soon as the terrorists return home.

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani (R) moves to shake hands with the Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad in Tehran on April 23, 2015. ©ISNA
The Syrian official, for his part, briefed Shamkhani on the latest efforts made by the Syrian government to find a political settlement to the crisis in Syria.

He heaped praise on the Iranian government and nation for their support of the Syrian government.

Miqdad said Syria’s borders with neighboring countries should be closely watched in a bid to avoid the infiltration of terrorists into the war-stricken country.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fueled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of over 222,000 people, according to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

More than 67,000 of the dead were civilians, including over 11,000 children.

Over 3.8 million Syrians have left their country since the beginning of the crisis. More than 7.2 million Syrians have also become internally displaced, according to the United Nations.