Iran Calls on Syrian Opposition Groups to Come to Negotiating Table

Iran once again underlined the necessity of a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Syria, and called on Syrian opposition groups to come to the table of negotiations.

Speaking to Lebanese Al-Manar TV network on Thursday, Tehran’s Ambassador to Beirut Qazanfar Roknabadi stressed strong popular support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

“Majority of Syrian people want reform and return of peace to their country and those who provoke unrests, they should respect people’s demands. Opposition groups should come to the negotiating table and take distance from the terrorist groups,” Roknabadi stated.

As regards Iran’s stance on developments in Syria, Roknabadi said Tehran has done its best to stop violence in Syria and has supported people’s demand for reform.

“The current unrests in Syria have roots in a US plot which serves the security of the Zionist regime. Iran’s 6-point peace plan for Syria will prepare ground for the holding of parliamentary election and a new cabinet for the implementation of reform plans under the rule of Assad until 2014 presidential election.”

Iranian officials have recently called on political leaders and religious figures in the region to support Tehran’s 6-point plan to settle the crisis in Syria.

Iran’s proposed plan calls for an immediate end to violence and a start of the national dialogue. The third step is to create a reconciliation government and provide humanitarian aid to the people of Syria. The next step is the release of prisoners, who have not committed a crime against Syrians. And the final point is to allow media’s full access to Syria.

Tehran has recently doubled its efforts to settle the problems in Syria which has been experiencing unrests since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian security forces and border guards.

On November 18, Iran hosted the Syrian National Dialogue Conference, with the motto “No to Violence, Yes to Democracy”.

Over 200 Syrian religious and political figures, leaders of tribes and parties as well as representatives and leaders of the opposition groups took part in the two-day meeting in Tehran.

A number of Syrian parliament members as well as senior political figures from Sudan, Algeria, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Brazil and Zimbabwe also took part in the meeting.