Tehran/Buenos Aires - Iran, Brazil, Angola and Argentina urged the international community to work to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria through dialogue.
Iranian President Hassan Rohani urged international community "to constructively work toward national dialogue" in Syria, affirming his country's readiness to help in facilitating this dialogue.
"I announce my government's readiness to help facilitate dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition," Rohani said, according to an article published Thursday by the Washington Post.
He called for addressing "the broader, overarching injustices and rivalries that fuel violence and tensions," noting that a key aspect of his commitment "to constructive interaction entails a sincere effort to engage with neighbors and other nations to identify and secure win-win solutions."
"After 10 years of back-and-forth, what all sides don't want in relation to our nuclear file is clear. The same dynamic is evident in the rival approaches to Syria," the Iranian President said before departing to attend the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly.
He pointed out that this approach can be useful for efforts "to prevent cold conflicts from turning hot," adding however "to move beyond impasses, whether in relation to Syria, my country's nuclear program or its relations with the United States, we need to aim higher."
He stressed the need thinking and talking about how to make things better, rather than focusing on how to prevent things from getting worse.
Rohani underscored that "A constructive approach to diplomacy doesn't mean relinquishing one's rights. It means engaging with one's counterparts, on the basis of equal footing and mutual respect, to address shared concerns and achieve shared objectives."
He regretted that "unilateralism often continues to overshadow constructive approaches" and that "Security is pursued at the expense of the insecurity of others, with disastrous consequences".
He said that more than a decade and two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after 9/11," al-Qaeda and other militant extremists continue to wreak havoc."
Rohani added that " Syria, a jewel of civilization, has become the scene of heartbreaking violence, including chemical weapons attacks."
He reiterated that "The unilateral approach, which glorifies brute force and breeds violence, is clearly incapable of solving issues we all face, such as terrorism and extremism," stressing that "nobody is immune to extremist-fueled violence, even though it might rage thousands of miles away. Americans woke up to this reality 12 years ago."
Meanwhile, Argentina and Brazil urged the international community to continue efforts to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria.
The Chinese Xinhua news agency said Brazilian Foreign Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo and his Argentine counterpart Héctor Timerman called, in a joint statement issued after their meeting in Buenos Aires, to find "a peaceful negotiated solution" to end the crisis in Syria.
Both sides stressed their condemnation of chemical weapons use by any party.
Haiti, for its part, welcomed in a statement by its foreign ministry, the agreement reached between Russian and the UN in Geneva on September 14 on placing the chemical weapons in Syria under international control.
The statement considered that the Russian-U.S. agreement has helped prevent the use of force and given priority to the diplomatic means to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.
Angola calls for peaceful solution to crisis in Syria
Angola on Friday called for finding a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria without foreign intervention. Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Chikoti, said that his country supports a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria to avoid escalating the situation.
Chikoti was speaking in an interview with the Angolan national radio station.
He welcomed the decision of the Syrian government to join the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), calling upon all international forces to preserve international peace and security.
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2013
