US must withdraw from Syria, stop supporting terrorism: Iran’s deputy UN envoy

Iran's deputy ambassador to the UN says the United States should stop supporting terrorism in Syria and end its illegal military presence there as regional efforts are underway to find a political solution to over seven years of militancy gripping the Arab country.

Addressing the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Es’haq Al-e Habib said Washington must end its occupation of Syrian territory – where it has thousands of boots on the ground -- and its support for terrorist groups.

The Iranian official also denounced the destructive role that Washington’s close ally Saudi Arabia is playing in the Middle region, including its support for Takfiri terror groups in Syria.

Regarding the armed opposition groups fighting the Syrian government, he said all states with influence over such groups must encourage them to lay down arms and join the political process.

The Iranian official said that all foreign-backed terrorists must return to their countries of origin, while terrorists of Syrian origin must be handled according to Syria’s law.

Al-e Habib further stressed that Iran’s legitimate presence in Syria is aimed at fighting the US- and Saudi-backed terrorists in the Arab country.

At the request of Damascus, Iran has been providing military advisory assistance to the Syrian government forces in their operations to eliminate terror groups from their homeland.

He further touched on efforts underway based on the Astana format to set up a constitutional committee in Syria, stressing that the process should be done in line with the understandings reached between the guarantors of the Astana peace process – namely Iran, Russia and Turkey.

The Astana process – which was launched in January last year – has resulted in the return of a succession of militant bastions to the government fold and movement of civilians to safe zones.

He further called on the international community to exhaust all efforts to reconstruct the war-battered Syria.

‘US-led coalition, terrorists pursue similar goals’

Syria’s Ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja’afari also addressed the Security Council On Wednesday, saying the goals of the US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Syria are the same as those pursued by terrorists.

The Syrian diplomat slammed the US-led coalition for perpetrating crimes and supporting terrorism in Syria, calling for an immediate end to the American military presence there.

He said that the US-led airstrikes on the country constitute a flagrant violation of international law, accusing the coalition of using banned weapons against civilians in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.

The Syrian envoy said, in one instance, the US used internationally-banned phosphorous bombs in its raids on Dayr al-Zawr province on October 13th and 14th, leaving women and children dead.

“This so-called coalition has fought everything but terrorism,” he said.

PressTV-‘Russian-Turkish deal on Syria’s Idlib still in effect’

The Kremlin says a deal to create a buffer zone in Syria's Idlib province is going ahead, even though Takfiri militants have missed a deadline to leave.

Regarding the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, the last major terrorist stronghold in the country, he said any Syrian territory would inevitably return to government control.

He stressed that Nusra Front terrorists refuse to comply with agreements on Idlib and want to continue the bloodshed.

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