Iran says will never allow foreign states to define Syria's fate
By Sara Rajabova
Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has said Iran will never allow foreign countries to determine the fate of war-ravaged Syria, Iranian English-language broadcaster Press TV reported.
Salehi said Iran is taking measures to ensure that the Syrian crisis will be resolved through a solution within Syria.
The top Iranian diplomat stressed that foreign powers will not be allowed to decide Syria's fate and expressed hope that the opposition would sit down with the Damascus government to negotiate and form a transitional government.
Salehi made the remarks in a meeting with foreign diplomats based in Tehran that has been arranged in order to discuss Iran's plan aiming to resolve the ongoing crisis in Syria.
"Our plan is comprehensive and takes into consideration all aspects of the issue," the Iranian minister added.
On December 16, Iran unveiled the details of its six-point plan, which calls for an immediate end to the violence.
The plan also calls for dispatch of humanitarian aid to Syrians following the end of the conflict, lifting of all economic sanctions imposed against the country, and facilitation of the return of the displaced Syrians to their homes.
Besides, Salehi stressed UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's recent visit to Syria, Mehr news agency reported on Wednesday.
"In the framework of this plan, other sub-plans are workable, with Brahimi's visit to Syria among them, since we gave him the plan as a proposal before," he added.
He also stated that Iran's initiative on the solution of the Syria crisis is a comprehensive plan taking into consideration all aspects.
"Currently, we are negotiating with Brahimi, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, and other countries with an interest in the Syrian issue to implement the proposal," he said.
Turkey's Hurriyet daily said Wednesday that Brahimi, who met with Syrian President Bashar Assad on Monday in Damascus, brought the double-option US-Russian initiative to Assad.
"The first option is establishment of a transitional government under the leadership of Assad and will include the opposition and those who were not involved in the bloody crackdown in Syria. This government should aim for a democratic election that will not involve Assad's candidacy.
"The second option is that Assad leave the country and a transitional government which would include a mixed opposition-government team be established to lead the country to the next election," the daily reported.
Following his meeting with Assad, Brahimi said he and President Assad exchanged views on the crisis and discussed possible steps forward, which he did not disclose.
Recently, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro reported that the US-Russian initiative for a transition government in Syria would see Assad staying in power until 2014, with no possibility of re-election.
On the other hand, Assad sent a senior diplomat to Moscow on Wednesday to discuss proposals to end the conflict convulsing his country made by Brahimi, Syrian and Lebanese sources said, according to Reuters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week that Moscow would welcome any country's offer of a safe haven to Assad, but has no intention of giving him shelter if he steps down.
Russia, which has reportedly given Assad diplomatic and military aid to help him weather the 21-month-old uprising, has said it is not protecting him, but has fiercely criticized any foreign backing for rebels and, with China, has blocked U.N. Security Council action on Syria.
Besides, Brahimi will also visit Moscow this weekend for talks on the crisis, a senior Russian diplomat was quoted by AP as saying Wednesday,
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that the UN-Arab League envoy Brahimi will arrive in Moscow on one-day visit Saturday to discuss Syrian peace settlement, UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky said on Wednesday, RIA Novosti reported.
In meantime, the bloody battles between Syrian government forces and rebels continue with intensity. As violence has intensified in recent weeks, daily death tolls have climbed. The British-based Observatory reported at least 190 had been killed across the country on Tuesday alone.
Syria has been the scene of deadly unrest since March 2011, which has claimed the lives of thousands of Syrians, including a large number of Syrian soldiers and security forces.
According to the UN website, at least 20,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the uprising against President Assad began in March 2011. The conflict has spawned more than 500,000 refugees, while an estimated four million people inside the country need urgent humanitarian assistance.