Iraqi Parliament Speaker: Baghdad Sharing Close Stances with Tehran on Regional Issues

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi said Syria was high on the agenda of his talks with Iranian officials in the last four days, and underlined that Baghdad and Tehran hold close views and stances on regional issues, including the crisis in Syria.
“I talked about important regional issues and restoration of stability to the region with Iranian officials because Iranians and us have close viewpoints on regional issues,” al-Nujaifi told reporters at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport before departing for Baghdad at the end of his four-day visit to Iran.

The Iraqi parliament speaker pointed to Iraq’s opposition to extremism and terrorism in Syria, and said, “In my meeting with Iranian President Mr. Rouhani, we also discussed Syria.”

Al-Nujaifi underlined that the Syrian crisis should be resolved through holding national dialogue.

Al-Nujaifi, heading a parliamentary delegation, had a four-day visit to Tehran at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani.

The conflict in Syria started in March 2011, when sporadic pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle-East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government has boosted its political and military support to Takfiri extremists.

Washington has remained indifferent to warnings by Russia and other world powers about the consequences of arming militant groups.