Iran to Embrace French Initiative for Peace in Syria

Iran is pursuing a political solution for the settlement of the existing conflicts in Syria, and would accordingly welcome any initiative by the French government for finding a political way out of the crisis in the Arab country, Foreign Minister Zarif said in a meeting with Secretary General of France’s Foreign Ministry Christian Masset, held in Tehran on Monday.

He further hailed Tehran-Paris ties for being on the right track, noting that regular political talks and reciprocal meetings could remove the obstacles to economic interaction between Iran and France.

For his part, Masset said France is looking for a mechanism for sustainable cooperation with Iran, and voiced his country’s full support for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

Last week, Foreign Minister paid a visit to Paris and held meetings with top French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron.

“We had a good and extensive discussion (with Macron) on the regional issues, and on the need for finding political solutions (to the conflicts),” Zarif said at the end of his trip, adding that he was informed about the French government’s plans for the settlement of crisis in Syria.