Boroujerdi: Iran Will Continue to Support Syria Until the Crisis is Fully Over

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jouhina news, Chairman of the Foreign Policy and National Security Committee at the Iranian Shoura Council, Alaeddin Boroujerdi , affirmed that Iran will continue to support Syria until the crisis in it is fully over, saying that Syria constitutes the first line of confronting Israel. In a press conference held in Damascus on Monday, Boroujerdi said that Israel isn't currently in a direct war with Arab countries; rather it works to escalate the situation in Syria by supporting armed groups, saying that this diabolical policy was concocted with the US and its allies in the region who are funding this plot with billions of dollars and sending weapons and terrorists to Syria, adding that these sides should be prosecuted. Boroujerdi criticized Washington's double standard policy as it claims to be defending human rights and confronting terrorism while it kills innocents in Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine and Pakistan. "The best option to get out of the crisis in Syria is the continuation of President Bashar al-Assad in his post until the presidential elections in 2014. After that there would be free elections through which the Syrian people will determine their future," he said, stressing that Iran supports the political program based on the national dialogue among all spectrums of the Syrian people to get out of the crisis peacefully. Boroujerdi pointed out that some neighboring countries are escalating the crisis in Syria, adding that these countries should know that the crisis will end sooner or later, but the Syrians will remember the harmful and wrong practices of these countries. He also noted that the United States' opening a new front against Syria from the Jordanian borders is an evidence on the failure of the American policy in the region. Boroujerdi said that Iran strongly condemns the assassination of clergymen and scholars at the hands of the terrorists, among them the Islamic scholar Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Bouti. He pointed out that the security situation in Syria has improved significantly, asserting that the government made good achievements to ease the repercussions of the crisis on the ground and that there is a development in the national dialogue. "It is our duty is to support Syria as a resistant country which stands in the first trench of confronting the Zionist entity," he added, stressing that what is happening in Syria is a loss for the Arab and Islamic world in favor of Israel. Boroujerdi said that there are signs of hope that the crisis will be solved politically via dialogue, and that these signs can be reached soon and announced in the near future. He pointed out that those who participate in the "Friends of Syria" conferences are actually Syria's enemies, and that these conferences will lead nowhere. Boroujerdi said Iran has been optimistic about the mission of UN Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi and the possibility of assisting in finding a solution to the crisis in Syria , but after the Arab League's decision to suspend Syria's membership in it, Brahimi lost his objectivity. He hoped that Brahimi will keep away from the biased practices to be able to find the appropriate solution to the crisis On allegations that Iran is providing military support to the Syrian Army, the Iranian Official said the Syrian Army is strong and has good capabilities, therefore it doesn't need support from any other forces. On Turkey's position from the crisis, Boroujerdi noted that he advised Turkish officials not to be hasty in their positions and not burn any bridges, voicing serious reservations over Turkey's policies. He stressed the need for all sides in Lebanon to exert efforts to ensure that the crisis in Syria doesn't spread into their country, affirming that the Lebanese government is responsible for preventing terrorists from sneaking into Syria. Boroujerdi refuted theories that resolving the crisis in Syria is linked to terminating the Iranian nuclear program, saying the two issues aren't related, stressing that Iran's defense strategy has no place for the nuclear weapons and it is impermissible to posses it and affirming Iran's commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He explained that Iran's armament policy relies on deterrence, and that it will continue developing the weapons industry because the war which was waged on Iran for eight years and cost it tens of thousands of lives require it to be highly ready and armed so that no-one may think of attacking it. "Our policy focuses on peace and friendship with all, particularly the Arab neighboring countries. We announce that we are ready to reach security and economic agreements with them," Boroujerdi concluded.