TEHRAN - Hossein Jaberi Ansari, a top aide to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, has said that Idlib is part of the Syrian territory that should be ruled by the Damascus government.

“A number of fundamental principles should be observed about Idlib. First, terrorists should be cleaned out in this region. This region is the focal point of al-Nusra Front forces who are known as terrorist by all countries and international bodies and confrontation with them is legitimate. The second principle is that Idlib is part of Syria’s territory, and like other regions in the country, it should be ruled by the central government,” he said in a televised interview aired late on Thursday.

He added, “In addition to these two principles, the third principle, which is very important for Iran, is the humanitarian side of the issue due to presence of two to three million Syrians in this region. This humanitarian issue should be considered in any solution regarding Idlib.”

Commenting on claims about use of chemical weapons in Idlib by the Syrian government, he said Western countries and certain countries in the region are not happy with the ongoing developments in Syria and thereby they have launched a psychological warfare in this regard.

“It is obvious that the Westerners use the issue of chemical attacks as tool to reach their political objectives to prevent an end to the Syrian crisis, and they may repeat using this tactic,” he noted.

He also said the trilateral Friday summit in Tehran involving Iranian, Russian and Turkish presidents discusses the latest developments in Syria and the necessary cooperation between the sides.

The summit meeting in Tehran is in line with the continuation of the Astana talks aimed at bringing an end to the conflict in Syria.

Jaberi Ansari, Iran’s point man for the Syria talks, said the Astana talks are aimed at ending the Syrian conflict, adding the talks will continue until the crisis is completely resolved.

The summit in Tehran took place at a time that Syria is preparing to purge Idlib from terrorists.

NA/PA