Iran’s President Rouhani welcomes ceasefire in Syria

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has welcomed the ceasefire in Syria, expressing hope that peace talks on the conflict in the Arab country could settle the crisis.

According to Press TV, speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday, Rouhani said the truce and the ongoing peace negotiations would hopefully pave the way for the establishment of a new constitution and holding new elections in Syria.

The UN-brokered indirect peace negotiations have continued in Geneva, Switzerland, between delegations representing the Syrian government and the foreign-backed opposition groups. The talks have hit impasse on several occasions due to obstructionist measures by the Syrian opposition.

The ceasefire went into effect on February 27. Russia and the United States worked for the truce agreement.

Elsewhere, President Rouhani commented on the ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, saying that Tehran favors defusing the current tensions in the two country's relations. Rouhani also hoped that the current differences between Tehran and Riyadh would be resolved soon.

On the issue of the conflict in Syria, the Iranian president said Tehran and Riyadh have always had different stances on this issue, but Iran sticks to its view that the arms supply to the terrorists must be cut and that work must be done to stop the ISIL Takfiri terrorists from selling oil they are in possession of to other countries.

In response to a question on the security of the border between Iran and Pakistan, Rouhani said the Islamic Republic has always maintained security on its eastern border with Pakistan, urging more work from Islamabad to boost security along its western border with Iran.

ME