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Iran: France needs a ‘more realistic’ attitude on Syria

March 6, 2015 at 4:29 pm

The Iranian ambassador in France Ali Ahani told the Europe 1 radio station yesterday that Tehran expects France to adopt a “more realistic” attitude towards Syria in order not to “tear the country apart”.

“We expect France’s position to be more realistic and based on real information, which is not the case now,” the Iranian diplomat said. He stressed that President Bashar Al-Assad “is still enjoying popularity” among the Syrian people.

Ahani noted that France’s position faced criticism, including from within France.

A visit by a group of French members of parliament to Damascus last week stirred a debate about the France’s firm strategy regarding Syria. The visit that did not concur with the official French stance has stirred up debate in Europe and the United States about the possibility of entering negotiations with Bashar Al-Assad.

“We have to be more realistic about the reality in Syria. We should think of the Syrian people and not tear this country apart; we should not divide this country,” added the Iranian ambassador, whose country is allied with the Syrian regime.