Iran: Syrian parliamentary election is a 'great step forward'

An Iranian Foreign Ministry official has said that the Syrian parliamentary election was an 'important step forward' in reforming the Arab country’s political system. Syrian voters turned out in large numbers on Monday for a parliamentary election, which is seen as central to the Syrian government’s reform program. Monday’s election for the 250-member parliament is the first part of reforms Syria approved in February. “The perceptive people of the country have always regarded a political solution to the Syrian crisis as the best solution and gave a firm response to foreign intervention and terrorist actions through holding a parliamentary election,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday. Abdollahian also highlighted the role of the Syrian people in supporting the resistance movement against the Zionist regime and said that the Islamic Republic of Iran will throw its weight behind the Syrian people and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s reform program.