Iran urges political solution of Syria crisis

An Iranian UN envoy has reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s principled stance on the ongoing crisis in Syria, stressing the need for a political settlement of the conflict.

“From the outset, Iran has always emphasized that the crisis [in Syria] has no military solution and reaching a comprehensive political agreement is the only possible solution,” Iran’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN Gholam Hossein Dehqani said in an informal session of the General Assembly on Friday.

“Iran’s efforts have so far been based on cooperation with the Syrian government, political opposition groups and officials of the United Nations,” he added.

The Iranian diplomat noted that the UN plays an important role in resolving the crisis in Syria and called on the international body to fully observe the principles of impartiality to help reach a political compromise which facilitates dispatching aid to the Syrian people.

“The United Nations’ humanitarian measures should be carried out without any prejudgment and specific political purposes,” Dehqani said.

He emphasized that foreign financial and military support for terrorist and extremist groups in Syria is the root cause of the current critical situation in the country, urging an end to such moves to reach a political compromise.

The foreign-backed national coalition, along with thousands of foreign militants, has been operating against the Syrian government since March 2011.

More than 130,000 people are said to have been killed over the past three years of turmoil in Syria. Millions have also been displaced due to the crisis.