As protests and violence continue to escalate in Syria, Iran has expressed support for the United Nations Security Council’s latest pronouncement on that troubled country.
IRNA reports that on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Iran will support any plan that does not violate Syrian sovereignty.
Mehmanparast said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran will support any plan that guarantees the demands of the Syrian nation and the implementation of reforms as announced by the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian officials, as well as bringing stability and peace to Syria and paving the way for dialogue on national unity in that country.”
He added that Iran supports settling the current situation in Syria through diplomacy and not through intervention or any hasty decisions.
On March 21, the UN Security Council voted in support of resolving the Syrian crisis through the diplomacy of the UN’s special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan.
His plan includes ending conflicts between the government and protesters, a daily ceasefire, the establishment of delivery routes for humanitarian aid, the release of political prisoners and the media, and the recognition of the right to carry out peaceful demonstrations. The UN plan also calls for negotiations between the government and the protesters in order to achieve a peaceful transfer of power.
The UN Security Council has warned the Syrian government that if this plan fails, it will be forced to take further measures. There has been no comment on the possible nature of such measures.
Despite the UN resolution, protests continue in Syria, and AFP reports that 62 people were killed yesterday.
