Iran to present Syria peace plan at NAM summit

Iran plans to present a peace plan for Syria at the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement summit which it hosts this week, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Sunday. “The NAM member states are opposed to any foreign interference and terrorism activities in Syria and therefore a new proposal would be presented at the sidelines of the NAM summit and be evaluated by the members,” he told reporters in remarks he gave on the sidelines of the NAM summit whicd kicked off here earlier today . Mehmanparast gave no details on the Syria proposal but said NAM members “want to hear the standpoints of the Syrian people and see a comprehensive plan to settle the crisis.” “Not foreign states but the people of Syria should decide about their political fate,” he said. The issue of forming a contact group for Syria would also be discussed at the Tehran summit, he said. The NAM gathering opened at expert level Sunday, with heads of state and government from 36 of the groupings member states expected to meet Friday. Meanwhile the NAM spokesman Mohammad Reza Forqani announced earlier Saturday that 41 countries will participate at the highest level: 35 heads of state, five first vice presidents or vice presidents, and a parliament speaker. He told a presss conference here that about 21 countries will send their foreign ministers, 5 countries their president’s special envoys, two countries at the level of minister other than foreign minister. Other countries will also be represented at the level of deputy minister, director general, or their ambassador at the United Nations, Forqani explained. The spokesman said there are countries which are still announcing their attendance at the high-profile meeting. It is worthy to mention that NAM, founded in 1961, has 120 members. 21 countries have also been given observer status in the bloc.