Rouhani Sees Extremism as Main Regional Problem
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani praised the Syrian nation for its resistance against the wave of foreign-backed terrorists, describing extremism and terrorism as the major problems that have gripped the region.
“The problem of terrorism and extremism will be dangerous for the whole world, particularly for the regional nations, and all countries should try to confront such menace,” Rouhani said in a meeting with visiting Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi in Tehran on Sunday.
The Iranian president also praised the Syrian nation for its fortitude in standing against the internal and external pressures, saying the Islamic Republic has been in contact with the neighboring countries to ease the burden of the ongoing crisis for the Syrian nation.
“The Islamic Republic has called on all its neighbors to make humanitarian efforts to relieve the pains of Syrian people.”
He also touched on Iran's intense diplomatic efforts to a avert a war on Syria, and hailed the Syrian nation and government for depriving the big powers of an excuse to use military force against the country.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran was active in the political scene, and did its utmost to prevent an imposed war in the region and Syria,” President Rouhani added.
The White House had been pressing for military action on Syria after a suspected chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21, which it blamed on the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
A proposal by Russia, one of Damascus's main international supporters, to put Syria's chemical weapons arsenal under international control for their eventual destruction, made US President Barack Obama hold off on striking Syria.
Thereafter, American and Russian top diplomats agreed on a deal in Geneva to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons. The accord called for the Syrian government to account for its chemical arsenal within a week and let international inspectors eliminate it all by the middle of 2014.
Halqi, for his part, congratulated Iran on a recent nuclear deal with six major world powers over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program, and described the accord as a “historical victory” for the Iranians.
Tehran and the G5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) signed a six-month deal on Tehran’s nuclear program after three rounds of intensive talks in the Swiss city of Geneva on November 24.
The deal is intended to allow time to negotiate a comprehensive agreement on the nuclear program.
The deal “will have positive impacts both on regional conditions and the global circumstances,” the Syrian prime minister added.
