Iran MP lauds Syria likely offer of truce

This file photo shows Syrian army forces.

An Iranian lawmaker has lauded the recent announcement by the Syrian government that it may offer a ceasefire as proof of Damascus™ willingness to resolve the country™s crisis through diplomatic channels.

œThe ceasefire proposal to resolve the crisis in Syria is acceptable and indicates that [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad™s government is willing to defuse tension in Syria through logical and diplomatic channels,” said Mansour Haqiqatpour, the vice-chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran™s Majlis on Saturday.

œPeople should be allowed to peacefully determine the destiny of Syria in the 2014 [presidential] election,” he added.

On Thursday, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil said Damascus may propose a ceasefire at the long-delayed Geneva peace conference, which is expected to be held on the ongoing crisis in Syria.

On May 7, Russia and the United States agreed in the Russian capital, Moscow, to convene an international conference on Syria, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting held in June 2012.

However, the event remains elusive as Syria™s foreign-backed opposition remains divided over taking part in the second round of Geneva talks. It has repeatedly refused to take part in the conference, setting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad™s removal from power as a condition to its participation in the event.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011.

ASH/NN/HJL

Copyright: Press TV