TEHRAN - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Tehran backs the UN-brokered Syrian talks, believing political settlement is the only way to end the five-year-old crisis.

The Iranian diplomat made the remark on Tuesday in an appearance with the visiting Swiss Deputy Foreign Minister Yves Rossier.
The statement was also highlighted by Rossier who stressed that the Syrian conflict can be brought under control only through political means.
The visiting official called for upholding the ceasefire and continuing the Geneva talks, highlighting Tehran’s role in bringing the inhumane crisis into a halt. 
Amir-Abdollahian further said, “Iran backs Bashar al-Assad as the legitimate president of Syria and sees the Syrian people entitled with the right to determine their future without any pressure from terrorists and foreign intervention.”
Pointing to terrorist groups, who grow like mushrooms in the region and are in contact across Iraqi and Syria main lands, the Iranian deputy foreign minister stated, “This is unfortunate that the international coalition has thus far failed to prove effective in both of the fronts.”
Amir-Abdollahian further called escalation of conflicts in Syria by some armed groups “obstructive” and “in breach of the ceasefire,” rendering any political settlement process futile.
Amir-Abdollahian reminded that Iran lays emphasis on the importance of ceasefire in Yemen, relevant political negotiations as well as more serious counterterrorism attempts.
The outbreak of war in Syria in 2011 has left millions of Syrians uprooted and displaced with many more scattered from the Middle East far into Europe.
Also, according to the United Nations Special Envoy on Syria De Mistura, the conflict has claimed nearly 400,000 lives. Some, on the other hand, has put the death toll at 250,000.
There have been international efforts to restore peace in the country with opposing groups and the Syrian government taking their plans to the negotiation table in Geneva brokered by the UN.
However, the sides have failed to come to a comprehensive political settlement except for a shaky ceasefire, breached repeatedly. 
However, the global community needs to understand that for the Syrian crisis to stop, every player needs to take one step back, allowing the Syrian people decide their own fate.

AK/PA