Iran’s Top Security Official, Kofi Annan Meet in Tehran

 (FNA)- Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and former UN Chief Kofi Annan held a meeting in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss the Syrian crisis which has turned into the most sensitive development in the region.

During the meeting, Shamkhani underlined the Islamic Republic’s unchangeable position on the necessity of finding a Syrian-Syrian solution to the crisis and the need for determining the future of the country through the ballot box

“Preventing the massacre of the innocent Syrian people by the terrorist groups and ending their agony and problems is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s demand and firm resolve,” said the Iranian top security official.

He expressed concern about the spread of terrorism to different regional states, and said, “Experience gained in the past has shown that the virus of terrorism will no doubt infect those who have spread it.”

Annan, for his part, appreciated Iran for its cooperation in soothing the regional and international crises, and said, “Iran’s unique role in regional peace and stability has necessitated paying attention to the country’s partnership in the trend of establishing security.”

In relevant remarks on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif renewed Iran’s support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, and said the Muslim country’s people should decide their own fate at the ballot box.

“The fate of the Syrians should be determined through the ballot box,” Zarif said in a meeting with former French Foreign Minister Hervé de Charette in Tehran.

The Iranian foreign underlined the need for a halt to bloodshed in Syria, and said, “The westerners themselves admit that election in Syria will have a result other than what they claim.”

De Charette, for his part, underlined Iran's influential role in the region and in the creation of international peace and security, and said, “The nuclear talks can achieve results through mutual trust.”

Iranian officials have repeatedly underlined that Tehran is in favor of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups to create stability in the Middle Eastern country.

Last November, Iran hosted a meeting between the representatives of the Syrian government and opposition to encourage them to start talks to find a political solution to their problems. The National Dialogue Conference kicked off work in Tehran mid November with the motto of 'No to Violence, Yes to Democracy".

The meeting brought together almost 200 representatives of various Syrian ethnicities, political groups, minorities, the opposition, and state officials.

The conflict in Syria started in March 2011, when sporadic pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle-East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government has boosted its political and military support to Takfiri extremists.

Washington has remained indifferent to warnings by Russia and other world powers about the consequences of arming militant groups.