Ahmadinejad calls for ceasefire, dialogue in Syria
KUWAIT: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has urged a
ceasefire in Syria and called for internal dialogue to resolve the
crisis, but rejects a Turkish proposal to replace President Bashar al-Assad,
Kuwait's press reported Thursday.
“The continuity of the fighting and the killing of innocent and
unarmed Syrian citizens ... is unacceptable. A ceasefire must be
achieved and then a dialogue started,” said Ahmadinejad, cited by the
daily Al-Anbaa newspaper.
“The solution must be Syrian made by the Syrian people,” he said
during a visit this week to Kuwait, where he attended the Asia
Cooperation Dialogue Summit. Ahmadinejad rejected a Turkish proposal
made earlier this month that Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara
replace the embattled Assad during a transition phase in Syria.
“This means we are imposing a foreign solution on the Syrians. The
solution must be Syrian and not imposed from outside and the Syrian
people should decide through elections,” the Iranian leader said.
Ahmadinejad said he had discussed the Syrian crisis with Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting Tuesday on the
sidelines of a regional summit in Azerbaijan.
“Our main goal is to achieve security and stability in Syria,”
Ahmadinejad said. “But the difference is on the means to achieve that
goal.” “Some believe that progress can be achieved through wars but we
believe that the means to achieve the goal is through national
dialogue.”
Ahmadinejad said Iran will respect the choice of the Syrian people,
adding that the ground must be prepared for reaching an understanding,
“and this is what we told Erdogan and sought his help.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Wednesday his country
and Iran back calls by the international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi for a
ceasefire in Syria to mark an upcoming Muslim holiday. Davutoglu made
the remarks after the Ahmadinejad-Erdogan meeting.
AFP |