Syria no-fly zone, repeat blunder: Abdollahian

Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has criticized Germany-backed Turkish initiative for a no-fly zone in Syria, saying such a measure would be the continuation of previous mistakes.

According to Press TV, on Friday he said: “Undoubtedly, rehashing the notion of a no-fly zone [in Syria] will fail to help security and stability in the region.

He added that the issue of Syria, which has affected security in the entire Middle East region, should be settled only through political solutions.

On Thursday, a source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry told the country’s official news agency, SANA, that the government flatly rejects proposals for a no-fly zone.

The Syrian government “completely rejects” such proposals as they “constitute a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and contravene the rules of the international law and the UN Charter,” SANA cited the source as saying.

“The aim of these statements would only lead to prolonging the crisis in Syria instead of contributing to finding a solution,” it added.

Amir-Abdollahian further lashed out at certain countries involved in Syria peace talks, but they are actually pursuing the "incorrect military approach" for the war-hit country.

He underscored the importance of controlling border areas in Syria’s neighboring states and preventing the inflow of terrorists to find a political solution to the crisis.

“We support the delivery of humanitarian aid and implementation of a ceasefire all across Syria except for regions where terrorists are present,” the Iranian diplomat said.

He warned that the "continued use of terrorism" as a pretext for intervention in Syria, Yemen and Iraq would further undermine regional security and stability.

SS