US must stop supporting terrorism: Iran deputy envoy to UN

Addressing the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Es’haq Al-e Habib said Washington must end its occupation of Syrian territory – where it has thousands of boots on the ground -- and its support for terrorist groups.

The Iranian official also denounced the destructive role that Washington’s close ally Saudi Arabia is playing in the Middle region, including its support for Takfiri terror groups in Syria.
Regarding the armed opposition groups fighting the Syrian government, he said all states with influence over such groups must encourage them to lay down arms and join the political process.

The Iranian official said that all foreign-backed terrorists must return to their countries of origin, while terrorists of Syrian origin must be handled according to Syria’s law.
Al-e Habib further stressed that Iran’s legitimate presence in Syria is aimed at fighting the US- and Saudi-backed terrorists in the Arab country.

At the request of Damascus, Iran has been providing military advisory assistance to the Syrian government forces in their operations to eliminate terror groups from their homeland.

He further touched on efforts underway based on the Astana format to set up a constitutional committee in Syria, stressing that the process should be done in line with the understandings reached between the guarantors of the Astana peace process – namely Iran, Russia and Turkey.

The Astana process – which was launched in January last year – has resulted in the return of a succession of militant bastions to the government fold and movement of civilians to safe zones.

He further called on the international community to exhaust all efforts to reconstruct the war-battered Syria.

/SR