Iraq totally rejects military interference in Syria, favors political solution: FM
Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.
Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) – Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has reiterated his country’s rejection of any military interference in Syria, stressing that the political solution is the best to defuse the Syrian crisis.
Jaafar made the remarks following his participation in the second Brussels conference co-chaired by the EU and UN on supporting the future of Syria and the region, Alghad Press quoted his media office as saying in a statement Sunday.
“Since the eruption of the Syrian crisis, Iraq has been adopting a clear and definite stance, which is based on rejecting any military interference in Syria and refraining from practicing any military pressure there,” the top Iraqi diplomat said.
“But after seven years of killings and displacement, it was necessary to remind them that it is better to focus on the political solution and provide support for the Syrian people,” Jaafari stressed.
Speaking about the outcome of the conference, Jaafari noted that the conferees agreed to support Syria with $4.4 billion this year, in addition to a $3.4 billion grant in 2019. “Other terror-plagued countries, including Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, will get 1.2 billion dollars,” he noted.
Jaafari further made it clear that “a court will be established to identify the party that used chemical weapons in Syria to take appropriate action against him.”
Two weeks ago, the US, UK and France said their air forces and navies fired 105 missiles, targeting three chemical weapons sites in Syria in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack on the Syrian town of Douma.
President Bashar al-Assad’s government has denied ever using chemical weapons, and its key ally Russia says it has evidence the Douma incident was “staged”.