Alwaght-Iran’s Foreign Minister says the United States and Saudi Arabia cannot decide the fate of Syria and that only Syrians can choose their president.
“A political solution will be possible with [the presence of] Assad. Neither we nor they [Saudi Arabia and the US] can make a comment in this regard,” Mohammad Javad Zarif said at the end of his visit to Germany, where he delivered a speech at the 52nd Munich Security Conference (MSC).
“A decision about the future of Syria must be taken by the Syrian nation. People have the right to express their views and this decision only rests with the Syrians,” he added.
Zarif made the remarks on Saturday while speaking to reporters in the German city of Munich in response to earlier comments by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir about Assad’s future and the political situation in Syria.
On the eve of the Munich talks, Kerry told The Washington Post that in case of lack of seriousness by Russia and Iran for the resolution of the crisis in Syria, “then there has to be consideration of a Plan B.”
He added that “Plan B” would “lead to a coalition against [the ISIS Takfiri terrorists], and also to support the opposition against Assad.”
The Saudi foreign minister also told CNN in Munich that if the Syrian political process fails, President Assad will have to be removed "by force."
"I believe Bashar al-Assad is weak and I believe Bashar al-Assad is finished," Jubeir said.
In earlier remarks Zarif stressed the importance of pursuing a “political solution” to the Syria crisis, warning against entertaining “illusions” about the situation in the Arab country.
“I think what is important for everybody is to focus on a political solution and not on complicating factors particularly boasting about situations that are more illusions than reality,” Zarif said on the sidelines of a meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Munich.
