Syria may be on way to see crisis resolved: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with George Jabour, president of the United Nations Association of Syria in Damascus, to discuss the crisis in Syria.

Following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Iran’s nuclear conclusion has happened and there are reports about Iran’s four-point peace plan for Syria. Do you think that we are on our way to see a political solution, with Iran’s participation, to the crisis in Syria?

Jabour: Most probably yes. The answer is yes. We are on our way to see some sort of solution despite what happened in Moscow yesterday. As a matter of fact, the Iranian initiative is welcomed by Syria. The Iranian initiative is being discussed with Syria. …it was not official; it was a primitive copy of it (the initiative). The final copy will be finalized with Syria. This means that during the meeting of Mr. Zarif in Syria, he discussed the final version of the initiative. And this final version will be transmitted to all concerned, including international peers like Moscow, Washington, the United Nations and other regional players such as Saudi Arabia and Iran. We have to say that Iran now is well-positioned to contribute to making peace in the region and among the three regional powers Iran is the most respectable now, because of the success of the negotiations regarding its nuclear program, also because Iran shows exactly that there was new concession regarding its regional policy. What Minster Zarif said in Beirut is very important: the policy of Iran regarding Israel continues to be as it used to be, and then the other enemy that Minister Zarif talked about was extremism, and this is, of course, the threat that is looming over the region altogether and the people of the region and the states of the world are trying to work together in order to combat it.

Press TV: The proposal involves some of type of elections to take place. Is that a possibility? Is that something that Syria would agree to with involvement of UN in order to finalize the political solution?

Jabour: This requires a new look at the United Nations. The United Nations has been considered by most of the Arab countries, by most of the peoples of the region, as an American-inspired organization. Now when we see that the United Nations will observe elections, will scrutinize elections, will have a role in Syria, this means that we have to be very careful regarding this. What this practically means is that we have worked with the United Nations and its agencies regarding the chemical weapons, and the Disengagement Force in the Golan. We are ready to work with the United Nations in many fields, and at the same time, regarding the internal affairs of Syria, we have not worked with the United Nations on matters like that, but then this does not mean that Syria is not positive regarding its position towards the United Nations. This does not mean that the United Nations can be restricted in its rules so that it works for the benefit of the people and it does not work for the benefit of those who pay most of its finances.

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