Iranian, Indonesian FMs Call for WMD-Free Middle East
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian and Indonesian ministers of foreign affairs denounced the use of force in the world, and both supported the idea of making the Middle East region free of the weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
In a Friday meeting on the sidelines of the 68th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Indonesian counterpart Raden Mohammad Marty Muliana Natalegawa stressed the need for making a WMD-free Middle East.
Both officials also called for further interaction between the two Muslim countries to boost international cooperation, and condemned the use of brute force all over the world.
They further emphasized the need for a ceasefire in Syria to prevent escalation of crisis, and supported the idea of political transition in the Arab country on the basis of popular will and without any foreign intervention.
US President Barack Obama had threatened the use of force in response to an August 21 chemical weapons attack in Syria that US officials say killed more than 1000 people. Washington has blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack, while Russia and Syria say it was the work of rebel forces.
But the US apetite for military engagement seems to have waned after Obama agreed on a plan to dismantle Syrian chemical weapons arsenal.But the Pentagon has said four Navy destroyers will stay within striking distance from Syria, signaling that the White House wants to keep the option of force on the table.
