TEHRAN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Monday that the Islamic republic supports Syrian president's Sunday remarks and his proposed peace plan.
During his speech to the nation on Sunday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad presented what he described as a new peace plan to end the crisis in Syria, a move that has been dismissed by his opponents as a ploy to cling on to power.
He offered a national reconciliation conference, elections and a new constitution. But he also demanded that other countries must first stop helping opposition fighters.
Recent remarks of Assad mean that Syrian government is willful to implement political reforms, Mehmanparast was quoted as saying by Press TV.
"Assad's remarks show that the Syrian government is trying to eradicate instability and insecurity and implement political reforms with the support of the people," he said.
Reiterating Iran's support for Assad's plan, Mehmanparast said that the political situation of Syria displays what the Western countries and the supporters of Israel are following in the Arab state.
He called on the regional states for a support for Assad's remarks, saying that all influential countries in the region should pave the way for implementation of Assad's plan through negotiation and political consultations. "By supporting Bashar al- Assad's plan, all regional countries must prevent new acts of sedition because instability in the region is detrimental to all countries," he said.
"If the United States and some Western countries claim to be supporting the rights of the Syrian people and advocating democracy, they had better provide the grounds on which the country's people can decide on their future in elections, Mehmanparast was quoted as saying.
On Sunday, Iranian foreign minister also expressed Tehran's support for the plan proposed by Assad to resolve the crisis in Syria.
"In line with its fundamental stance with regards to resolving the Syrian crisis in a political manner, Iran supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's initiative in proposing a comprehensive plan to defuse the crisis in this country," Salehi was quoted as saying by Press TV.
Salehi said implementing the plan could pave the way for building a stable and bright future for the Syrian people and the region.
He also called on all Syrian parties and opposition groups as well as regional and international parties to use this opportunity and make efforts to resolve the current crisis and provide grounds for the realization of a Syrian-Syrian resolution in order to prevent instability and crisis from spreading in the region, Press TV reported.
Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on Monday for international and regional support for what he called Assad's " initiative" to resolve the Syrian crisis.
Commenting on the importance of the plan, Amir-Abdollahian said that the proposed plan which seems to be an all-inclusive one will help stop violence in Syria and could serve as the pivotal point among the involved parties, according to the official IRNA news agency.
The plan could aid the Syrian nation to attain its objectives in a democratic manner, he said, adding that a halt in terrorist operations against the Syrian nation and controlling borderlines will help implement the plan.
The real opponents of the Syrian government who have supporters among the nation believe in only political solutions and vehemently reject massacre of people and destructive acts in the country, he maintained.
Iran will always respect the opinion of the Syrian nation formed through a democratic process whether it includes Bashar al- Assad as the president or anybody else as his successor, said the Iranian official.
Iran is the major regional ally of the Syrian government in its conflict with armed opposition groups.
On Monday, Iranian lawmaker Seyyed Hossein Naqavi-Hosseini, a spokesman for Iranian Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said that the situation in Syria is taking a turn in favor of the Syrian nation and government and to the detriment of the terrorists and armed opposition groups, according to Press TV.
The Iranian lawmaker added that the plan proposed by Assad to resolve Syrian issue has created "a new climate" for the future of the Arab country.
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