U.K.’s Cameron to Meet Iran’s Rouhani to Discuss Syria

As pioneers accumulated in New York at the United Nations general gathering, the U.S. secretary of state, John Kerry, talked about Syria with the Russian outside clergyman Sergei Lavrov.

“Like Russia’s earlier move to bolster the government of President Bashar al-Assad by deploying warplanes and tanks to a base near Latakia, Syria, the intelligence-sharing arrangement was sealed without notice to the United States“, notes NYT.

“If the priority is not to defeat terrorism, we are making a big mistake”, Rouhani said.

“The worldwide community has hit Daesh (Islamic State).

Of course it does”, Rouhani told an audience of USA think-tanks and journalists on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, but he added that the removal of his ally Assad would turn Syria into an extremist safe haven.

Iran’s Shiah clerical regime has voiced concern over a future without Assad, a largely secular leader from the heterodox Alawite movement.

Asked on Iran’s role in the region and the issue of Iranophobia, President Rouhani stressed the peaceful nature of Iranian policies, asserting that, “Iran has never invaded any country; despite all propaganda against Iran, it is clear that it has never been and will not be a threat on regional and worldwide stage”.

“It wouldn’t work because you would not be able to defeat ISIL (Islamic State) if that guy is still running the country“, Cameron said.

David Cameron is to hold face-to-face talks with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in a fresh bid to revive the stalled Syrian peace process. “We regret that the national uprisings in the region were diverted by terrorists,” he said.

Unlike Iran, Russian Federation can play a key role in resolving the Syrian crisis, Arab Affairs expert Hassan Hashemian has said.

Putin said Russian Federation had no plans now to deploy combat troops.

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria has reportedly claimed about 250,000 lives since March 2011.

“We struck militarily an extremely sensitive site for (IS)”, said French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, describing it as a “strategic hub” for militants travelling between Iraq and Syria.

Meanwhile, President Hollande saluted the huge progress accomplished by the United Nations since its creation 70 years ago, while noting that unfortunately the world is still challenged by many conflicts.

Rouhani said “the West’s opinion about Syria has changed somewhat in recent months” and the insistence that Assad must leave “no longer has that many fans”.

Washington and its allies blame Assad for the mayhem in Syria but have refused to put boots on the ground, despite the chaos after four years of intense bloodshed.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, however, told ARD television on Sunday that the formation of a transitional Syrian government should be kept separate from discussions on the future of Assad.

Israel, which borders Syria and has previously attacked sites in Syria, carried out at least three air strikes against Syrian army targets on the Golan Heights on Sunday, rebel sources and a monitoring group said.