Iran Hosts Syria Peace Conference: National Dialogue Only Solution

Under the motto “No to violence, yes to democracy,” an estimated 200 Syrian and regional politicians gathered in Tehran on Sunday to discuss a possible end to the violence that has engulfed Syria since March 2011.

“We believe reforms in Syria should lead to a free, fair and transparent election with the cooperation of all political parties,” Iran’s foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, said in opening remarks at the one-day Syrian National Dialogue conference.

The Iranian top official further highlighted: “Tehran has repeatedly stressed, and today we once again emphasize, that we seek a peaceful Syria-Syria resolution to Syria’s issue without any foreign interference.”
“We stress respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and for the legitimate demands of the Syrian nation; and these are the principles that must be taken into account in any discourse on Syria,” he added.
Meanwhile, the presence of delegations from dozens of countries, including representatives of Russia and China indicated that Iran is seen as able to wield influence in the matter.

According to Salehi, representatives from nearly 40 active Syrian political parties, including 130 figures from inside Syria and 40 Syrian and non-Syrian figures from other countries took part in the Sunday meeting.
“Those attending the meeting agreed to establish a committee to follow through national dialogue in Syria and to extend the talks to those opposition figures who had been invited to but did not attend the Tehran meeting due to various reasons,” Salehi said.

In parallel, he warned that arming the opposition in Syria would “spread insecurity, the risk of terrorism and increase organized violence” and would heighten the risk “of bloodshed spilling into other countries.”

“Ending clashes, preventing the shipment of weapons to Syria, avoiding interference by foreign countries, resuming national dialogue, forming a committee to meet the expectations of the Syrian people by parliamentary and presidential elections and changes in the constitution are all aspects of Iran’s political plan in Syria,” said Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast.

For his part, former Iraqi prime minister Ibrahim al-Jafari called for a Syrian solution rather than resorting to foreign intervention, saying, “We all must respect people’s dignity in Syria and prevent war and violence in Syria from spreading to the whole region.”

It is worth mentioning that Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.