Tehran’s meeting on Syria stresses Syrian people’s right to decide their future

The first meeting of the parliamentary foreign committees’ heads of the friendly countries to Syria which was held Wednesday in Tehran condemned in its final statement the terrorist crimes carried out by the armed groups in Syria, calling on all world countries to seriously confront the intercontinental terrorism.
The heads of foreign committees stressed the necessity of political solution to the crisis and confronting the phenomenon of terrorism as well as sending humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, highlighting the importance that the Syrian people decide their political future based on national dialogue.
They agreed that the continuation of the crisis in Syria for three years is a result of foreign intervention in the internal affairs of Syria, asserting the necessity of political settlement to the crisis through intra-Syrian dialogue.
The participants in the meeting emphasized that the difficult humanitarian situation in Syria is a result of the economic blockade imposed on the Syrian people and the sabotage acts carried out by the terrorist groups against the infrastructure and the economic institutions.
They called on all humanitarian organizations to take active and constructive measures to send humanitarian aid through coordination with the Syrian government and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent within the framework of respecting the national sovereignty independence and political future of Syria.
They called on the UN Security Council to issue a resolution that compels the neighboring countries to Syria to close their borders in face of the terrorist groups and another resolution that compels the countries which are supporting terrorism in Syria to stop their support to the terrorist groups which are shedding the blood of the Syrian people.
Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council Ali Larijani said the West is using the armed terrorist groups as a pressure method to achieve its objectives, stressing that the countries which claim they feel the Syrians’ pain must adopt mechanisms for resolving the crisis in Syria.
Larijani was addressing the first meeting of heads of parliamentary foreign committees of countries friendly to Syria, held in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Wednesday.
“It is very clear that it is the West that is supplying terrorists in Syria with arms,” he said, wondering “If the West was concerned for democracy, why does it support terrorists?”
Larijani said that the map of the Middle East could be changed by democracy but not through terrorists, adding “If the US is managing the affairs of the world as the Americans say, then why did not they solve the crisis in Syria?”
He stressed that the West is afraid of real democratic elections as the West is working on isolating and toppling presidents at a time where peoples of the region want to elect their own leaderships.
“If president Bashar al-Assad does not have popularity in Syria as they claim then why are they afraid of elections? Especially that the Syrian government has repeatedly welcomed reforms and elections,” he highlighted.
Larijani said that the west cannot determine whether this person has or does not have a position or popularity, adding that there are many dictatorships that cannot remain without the U.S. support in the region.
He said that the US does not want the crisis in Syria to be solved, adding that Syria has defended the Palestinian people, and if Damascus is not supported now, then other countries will face similar suffering.
Boroujerdi stresses necessity of combating terrorism and extremism
Chairman of the Iranian Shura Council’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who is chairing the meeting, said that the Syrian people should be given the opportunity to decide their destiny and elect the president they want in free elections, criticizing those who are gathering outside Syria and impose their views on the Syrian domestic affairs.
He stressed the necessity of stopping violence and combating terrorism and extremism.
Boroujerdi highlighted the necessity of helping the Syrian people and offering humanitarian aid to them saying, “Work must be done to find means that prevent the violation of human rights in Syria by the armed terrorist groups.”
Syria: Unified efforts needed to halt cancerous growth of terrorism
Chairperson of the Arab and Foreign Affairs Committee at the People’s Assembly Fadia Deeb said that from the beginning Syria has warned against the spread of terrorism, and terrorism has actually begun to cross borders and kill the innocents, citing what is taking place in Ukraine, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Turkey, Libya and Lebanon.
In her speech at the conference, she warned that terrorism will even spread into other countries unless the efforts of peace-loving countries are intensified and unified to halt the “cancerous growth” of terrorism.
Deeb highlighted that Syria has been an example of the secular country in which all sects and religions enjoy love, tolerance and security, stressing that the Syrian people want Syria to remain this country and reject to be ruled by those of takfiri mentality who want to impose Islam on believers of other religions.
She referred in her speech to the unfair economic siege imposed by the West on Syria, which negatively affects the various health, service and food sectors in Syria.
Deeb reviewed the big assault launched against Syria for three years that is carried out by takfiri forces backed by the powers of hegemony and reactionary regimes in the region.
The Syrian official underscored the series of political and social reforms achieved by the Syrian leadership and government, referring mainly to the amendment of the constitution, the issuance of the parties law, information law and the elections law to make a developed legislative frame for political pluralism which allows all political streams to take part and play a role in the building of Syria.
She however regretted that despite all international efforts exerted for finding a political solution to the crisis in Syria, the series of infrastructure destruction, setting fire to farms, robbing and destroying factories and attacking oil and gas pipelines and electricity stations by the armed terrorist groups continues, at the same time when the arming of these groups goes on under international cover.
Deeb affirmed that the Syrians alone are the ones to determine the future of Syria through a comprehensive national dialogue and ballots.
She concluded her speech by calling upon the countries participating in the meeting to unify their stances to support the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions, particularly resolutions no. 1373 for 2001 and 1456 for 2003 on incrimination of all countries which contribute to financing the terrorists.
For his part, Deputy head of the Foreign Relations Committee at the Russian State Duma, Yuri Vorobyov, stressed the firmness of the Russian stances regarding Syria, adding that what is happening in Syria is a Syrian internal issue and there could not be any foreign military or political interference in it.
He said that Russia has used the veto to preserve Syria and its institutions and was able to convince the US to attend the Geneva 2 conference, adding that other meetings should be held as to end the war in Syria because dialogue is the only way to do so.
He warned against supporting terrorism, calling for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution that obliges countries to control their borders.
He also called for holding the next meeting in Damascus as to inspect the situation in Syria and contribute to the efforts of reconstruction.
In turn, Lebanese MP Walid Sukkaryeh said that the reason of targeting Syria is its geographic location, adding that the conspiracy against Syria is aimed at fragmenting the Syrian society and igniting sedition among its people.
He added that the Syrian oppositions and the coalition are made by the west, noting that terrorism has turned into an international threat.
He affirmed that the solution in Syria is a political one that preserves the unity and position of Syria, calling for jointing efforts as to support Syria and combat terrorism.
Delegations from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Russia, Algeria, Venezuela and Cuba are participating in the meeting, which is to discuss means of preventing violation of human rights of the Syrian people and providing aid to them.
The participants are scheduled to exchange viewpoints on adopting a unified stance at the meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union due for March 17-21 in Geneva for supporting the Syrian people in confronting terrorists and condemning the armed terrorist groups’ practices.
Venezuela’s Ambassador in Iran stresses support to stability in Syria
Venezuelan Ambassador to Tehran Amenhotep Zambrano stressed during the meeting of the heads of parliamentary foreign committees of the Syria-friendly countries in Tehran that Venezuela was and still is supporting stability in Syria.
He added, “We condemn the U.S. threats and interference in Syria,” pointing out to the US lies and the misinformation campaign adopted by the west to fabricate the facts in Syria.
The ambassador said that the Venezuelan people will continue supporting the Syrian people to reach peace and restore stability and security.