PHOTO: Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian “We do not approve of the Riyadh meeting”
Iran has denounced the effort to establish a bloc among Syria’s opposition and rebels for talks with the Assad regime, claiming that “some terrorist groups linked to the Islamic State” are involved.
Two-day talks concluded in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, with the opposition and rebel factions supporting a “democratic mechanism…that represents all sectors of the Syrian people” and insisting on the departure of President Assad. A 15-member negotiating team will be named for any discussions with the regime, amid international conferences seeking an 18-month political transition.
See Syria Daily: Opposition-Rebel Bloc Prepares for Talks — But Assad Must Go
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian responded:
We do not approve of the Riyadh meeting. Terrorists will never be allowed to present themselves as moderate opposition and formulate the future of Syria and the region.
Amir-Abdollahian insisted that the gathering was contrary to the international conferences, rather than offering support for proposed opposition-regime negotiations.
Iran, whose military and economic support has been essential for the Assad regime, is insisting that the Syrian President must not be forced to step aside and must be allowed to stand in elections during the transition.
That line has toughened since the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Syrian regime’s other major ally, to Tehran in late November. The Supreme Leader’s top aide, Ali Akbar Velayati, has said that Assad’s future is a “red line” for the Islamic Republic.
