عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Abdollahian, Mekdad Demand Immediate Withdrawal of ‘Occupying Forces’ from Syria

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomes his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomes his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (AFP)
TT
TT

Abdollahian, Mekdad Demand Immediate Withdrawal of ‘Occupying Forces’ from Syria

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomes his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomes his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (AFP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on Monday for the immediate pull out of “the occupying military forces” from Syrian soil.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad following their meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran earlier in the day.

The Iranian FM said that immediate pullout of foreign forces from Syria will be highly conducive to stability and security in the region, also emphasizing that peace and security will be guaranteed only in the absence of foreign forces' interference.

Mekdad, for his part, said Syria is satisfied with the developments in the region.

“Active diplomacy at the Iranian level predicts well for people of the region,” he noted.

The Syrian foreign minister said he discussed with his Iranian counterpart the destructive role of the US and its direct occupation in northwest Syria.

He stressed that Syria wants the US forces and those of the US-led international coalition to leave its territory.

Also, Mekdad said his country supports all initiatives for the return of Syrian refugees, but Western countries impede that goal under the pretext that conditions are not suitable.

He also stressed that there is no hostility with the Turkish people, but added, “We want the departure of any illegal foreign force from our land.”

The Syrian foreign minister said the Turkish army occupies part of the Syrian land in the north, noting that since 2011, 300,000 to 400,000 of those he described as “terrorists” have entered Syria.

Meanwhile, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash announced on Monday that Iran and Syria have eliminated bilateral trade tariffs, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The Syrian foreign minister arrived in Tehran Sunday, along with the communications and technology minister and economy and trade minister, to follow up on the implementation of the bilateral agreements signed during the visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Damascus in early May.

The visit of the Syrian delegation to Tehran comes amid reports saying Iran plans to establish an Iranian free zone in central Syria to meet Iranian investments and to strengthen economic relations between the two countries.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Palestinians Receptive to Lebanon’s Call to Limit Possession of Weapons in Refugee Camps

The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)
The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)
TT
TT

Palestinians Receptive to Lebanon’s Call to Limit Possession of Weapons in Refugee Camps

The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)
The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)

Lebanon has started to exert serious efforts to restrict the possession of weapons inside Palestinian refugee camps in the country in line with President Joseph Aoun’s inaugural speech.

The president had demanded that the possession of weapons in the country and the camps be limited to the state.

The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee met at the government headquarters in Beirut three days ago to discuss the issue.

All Palestinian factions attended the meeting, and the gatherers agreed to “completely” resolve the Palestinian possession of arms outside the camps. They also agreed to outline how to restrict weapons inside the camps in line with the president’s speech.

The Lebanese state has yet to come up with the mechanism to confiscate the weapons inside the camps.

A Lebanese security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the arms will be tackled through a political approach drawn up by the government. “It will be carried out by the army with the security agencies and in coordination with the Palestinian factions in the camp, led by the Fatah movement, which is the official representative of the Palestinian people,” it added.

The Palestinians have expressed their “complete understanding” of the issue, it remarked.

The laying down of weapons by Palestinian factions is a step towards all illegal weapons throughout the country being turned over to the Lebanese state, it went on to say.

“There are no longer any excuses for weapons to remain in possession of any organization,” stressed the source.

Lebanese groups will be demanded to lay down their arms after the Palestinian ones do, it added.

In a first, the Palestinian factions have been very receptive to a Lebanese head of state’s demand to cooperate in limiting the possession of weapons in the refugee camps.

Member of the Palestinian National and Central Councils Haitham Zaiter said that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) recognizes that the camps are part of Lebanese territories, so they come under the authority of the state and its laws.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “complete coordination” is ongoing between the Lebanese security agencies and PLO inside the camps where several wanted Lebanese and Palestinian suspects and others from other nationalities have been turned over to the authorities.

The suspects had sought refuge in the camps to avoid justice in the crimes they have committed, he acknowledged.

“The PLO is the sole representative of the Palestinian people inside Palestine and in the diaspora,” he stated.

Moreover, Zaiter explained that Palestinian weapons in Lebanon are either carried by the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) outside the camps or by non-partisan individuals inside the camps.

The PFLP-GC laid down its weapons as soon as the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed in December.

Heavy weapons inside the camps had been previously brought in with the aim to undermine the PLO, he added.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas “has constantly called for coordination with Lebanese authorities to limit the possession of these weapons,” Zaiter said.