No deal on Syria’s political future in Vienna talks: Iranian diplomat

A senior Iranian diplomat says no deal was struck on Syria’s political future during the recent international talks in Vienna on the ongoing crisis in the Arab country.

“We made no deal on Syria’s political future; rather, in the session we only once more declared out loud the clear and transparent stance which had been pursued by the Islamic Republic of Iran [since the outset of the crisis in Syria],” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a live televised interview with IRIB Saturday night.

He added that Iran’s participation in the Vienna meeting carried the message that, “As we (Iran) have insisted on a political approach regarding the Syria [crisis] since its beginning, we are now, therefore, ready to take about appropriate steps in this path.”

He emphasized that no country, whether it be Turkey, the US and even Iran, can made a decision on the Syrian nation’s rights, saying, “Only the Syrian people can make decisions about their country’s future.”

During the “difficult and complicated” Vienna meeting, Iran emphasized that only the Syrian people are qualified to determine the country’s political fate, he explained.

Elsewhere, Amir-Abdollahian cited meeting the Islamic Republic’s national security and interests as one of the strategic objectives followed by Iran in its support for Syria.

“A ceasefire can be achieved in Syria but this issue needs a robust regional and international resolve to stop any support for terrorists,” the Iranian diplomat added.

Iran-Russia cooperation on Syria

Amir-Abdollahian further pointed to cooperation between Iran and Russia on Syria and said Tehran has been making efforts to use Moscow’s political and international capacities in line with the common Tehran-Moscow interests in regional developments.

He added that Iran and Russia have followed up on a strategy to support Syria based on common interests over the past five years.

The Iranian diplomat expressed hope that such cooperation would lead to a political solution to the Syrian conflict and establish complete peace and stability in Syria and Middle East.

International Vienna talks on Syria

The international day-long meeting on the Syrian crisis wrapped up in the Austrian capital on Friday. Representatives from Iran, the United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, Egypt, Russia, Jordan, Britain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Lebanon, China and Oman attended the talks.

Envoys from the United Nations and the European Union were also present at the meeting.

This was the first time that the Islamic Republic attended the talks after it was denied participation in the previous two rounds – both of which ended inconclusively – under pressure from the US and its allies.

The foreign-backed militancy in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has so far claimed the lives of over 250,000 people and displaced millions.