Iranian, Belgian officials discuss Syria

Iranian and Belgian officials discussed the latest developments in the crisis-hit Syria, and stressed the need to boost cooperation to meet the necessary needs of the country's refugees. In a meeting between Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Belgian Special Envoy for Syrian Affairs Marc Otte in Tehran on Sunday, the Iranian official briefed the European official on the volume of Iranian food and medical consignments dispatched for Syrians ever since the conflict broke out in the Muslim country. He also elaborated on Iran’s cooperation with some European states, including Switzerland, to help the needy people in various parts of Syria. The Iranian diplomat also expressed hope that a mechanism for tripartite cooperation between Iran, Syria and Belgium would be devised. Otte, for his part, stated that the deteriorating living conditions of the Syrian nation and the methods of handing out humanitarian aid to vulnerable people are of serious concern to the Belgian government and people. He further noted that through cooperation between Belgian and Iranian officials and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the needs of Syrian people would be recognized and mechanisms necessary for assisting Syrians by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and other European states would be drawn up. On Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a meeting with Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders in Tehran voiced Iran’s willingness to cooperate with the European countries in campaign against terrorism and dispatch of humanitarian aids to Syria. “We are ready to cooperate with the European countries in sending humanitarian aids to the Syrian people,” President Rouhani said at the meeting. In July, President Rouhani underlined that the Islamic Republic would continue dispatch of its humanitarian aid to Syria. “Under difficult living conditions of the Syrian people, the (Iranian) government will continue sending its humanitarian aid and assistance (to them) while condemning any hostile act against the regional countries, specially Syria,” President Rouhani said. In January, the IRCS dispatched 3 cargoes of humanitarian aids to the Syrian refugee camps in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. “To help the Syrians, three humanitarian aid cargos of the IRCS have been sent to the Red Crescents of Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon via land routes to be distributed among the Syrian refugees residing in the three countries,” Director-General of IRCS’s Public Relations Office Vahid Rahmati said. In August, Iran distributed another cargo of humanitarian aid supplies among Syrian and Palestinian civilians in Syria on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan (ended August 8). The aid cargo included foodstuff and medicine. Iran dispatched its fourth consignment of humanitarian supplies, including medicines and medical equipment, to Syria in July in a bid to help people affected by the unrest in the Muslim country. The Islamic Republic also sent several ambulances to Syria in August. Iranian officials have repeatedly underlined that Tehran is in favor of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups to create stability in the Middle Eastern country. In November 2012, Iran hosted a meeting between the representatives of the Syrian government and opposition to encourage them to start talks to find a political solution to their problems. The National Dialogue Conference kicked off work in Tehran mid November with the motto of “No to Violence, Yes to Democracy". The meeting brought together almost 200 representatives of various Syrian ethnicities, political groups, minorities, the opposition, and state officials.