Iran: U.N. Vote against Assad to Escalate Syria Crisis
Iran on Thursday said a U.N. General Assembly vote condemning Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime over its "escalation" of the civil war will embolden "extremist groups" in Syria.
"Not only will (the U.N. condemnation) not help the problem there, but it will also escalate the actions and crimes of extremist groups in Syria," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said in a statement carried by the Mehr news agency.
The resolution on Wednesday was adopted by 107 countries in the 193-member assembly, down from 133 when the last vote was held in August.
Araqchi questioned the timing of the vote, saying the resolution "is against international efforts to find a peaceful solution" to the crisis that has killed more than 90,000 people since March 2011.
Iran, Assad's main regional ally, regards many Syrian opposition groups as "terrorists" being backed by Western and Arab countries, but it urges talks to form a national reconciliation committee to end the conflict.
Russia, another ally of the Assad regime, fiercely opposed the resolution, labeling it a potential obstacle to peace negotiations expected to be held in Geneva next month.
The vote came on the eve of talks between U.S. President Barack Obama and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a key player in the drama as leader of a former Syrian ally that now backs the revolt against Assad.
The Islamic republic has often criticized Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia for supporting rebel forces fighting to oust Assad.
Source: Agence France Presse
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