Al-Halqi Calls for Iran’s Help to Reconstruct Syria

Syrian Prime Minister Wael Al-Halqi called for the partnership of Iran’s private sector in the reconstruction of his country.
“The Iranian companies are Syria’s main partners in reconstruction of our country,” the Syrian prime minister said in a meeting with Iranian parliamentary delegation in Damascus on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the Iranian delegation also met with President Bashar Al-Assad.

At the meeting, Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi and the Syrian President discussed bilateral ties, regional developments and the recent presidential election in the country.

Boroujerdi underlined the necessity of formation of a joint committee to rebuild Syria.

He congratulated President Assad on his landslide victory and reelection to the post.

Boroujerdi arrived in Syria at the head of a large delegation of Iranian and foreign lawmakers to monitor the Presidential vote on Tuesday.

Parliamentary delegations from 30 states were in Tehran on Sunday to discuss the situation in Syria in the 2nd Friends of Syria conference.

Some of the delegations flew along with Boroujerdi and the Iranian lawmakers to Syria to monitor the delegation. The foreign delegations approved election standards after monitoring the vote in several cities on Tuesday.

Assad won the recent presidential elections held on June 3 with 88.7 percent of votes.

Syria’s parliament speaker Jihad Laham announced the final results from Tuesday’s election, saying Assad garnered 10,319,723 votes, representing almost 89 percent of the total votes.

“I declare the victory of Dr Bashar Hafez al-Assad as president of the Syrian Arab Republic with an absolute majority…,” Laham said in a televised address from the Syrian parliament.

Laham said Assad’s two challengers, Hassan al-Nouri and Maher Hajjar, won 4.3 percent and 3.2 percent respectively. The Supreme Constitutional Court put turnout at 73.42 percent.

Also today, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani in a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Mohammad Jahad Al-Lahmi congratulated the massive participation of the Syrian nation in the country’s presidential election and reelection of President Bashar Al-Assad.

“This victory will certainly disappoint the Zionists and will also result in restoration of tranquility and security in Syria,” Larijani said during the phone conversation.

On Wednesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry, in a statement, praised the Syrian nation’s massive participation in the presidential election, and called on the world states and international bodies to respect the results of the Tuesday election.

The statement praised the high turnout in the polls as a “big achievement”, saying the Syrian government made good preparations for holding the June 3 election despite difficulties caused by certain foreign sides.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran extends full support for the holding of the presidential election in Syria and backs its results,” the statement added.

“Undoubtedly, this election, which was held with a competitive approach and within the framework of democratic components, heralds a new stage of stability and national reconciliation in the country,” the statement added.

The ministry expressed hope the democratic trend would improve national reconciliation to serve the Syrian people’s interests, put an end to the country’s crisis and restore peace and tranquility.