Tehran’s Doors Open to Everyone to Return Hope to Syria and Syrians

 Ali Akbar Salehi

It rends my heart to see where Syria has reached today; Syria, the diamond of Arabs, the pride of the Islamic nation. It dreads me to see this country, which has for long been the minaret of civilization, turning into a hotbed of carnage. This spot, filled with history, has become a pocket of systematized destruction which is not sparing any traditional, religious, cultural, and archeological site. The most ancient populated capital of the world has become a burden for its tenants, who left their homes in large numbers.
In Syria, the odor of blood wins out the scent of jasmine. Death is just a usual scene. Alas, death has become quite familiar, a part of the daily life.
Is this the fate that suits Syria, the land of love, tolerance, and coexistence? I am mainly asking my Muslim brothers, who have vaunted opposition, change, and reform: Does the bloodshed--on the very hands of skilled mercenaries--really suit you and those you belong to? Mercenaries who are total strangers to you but whom the foreign and Zionist powers of hegemony and dominance have brought to Syria to disfigure Islam and the country well renowned for its plural and diversified sects, communities, and religions!
Does it really suits you and us, Arabs and Muslims, to have unarmed men, children, and women slaughtered, just because they did not own any destruction weapons to defend themselves? Does it suit you and us to have among you braggarts who assigned themselves with speaking in the name of religion, to allow the killing of innocent unarmed civilians, just because they are not affiliated with the opposition or because they did not unsheathe their weapons on the regime you are now seeking to take over or change?

Are you and we the followers of this grand messenger of humanity and the Last Prophet who spread mercy among people, while we stand cross-handed before the killing and destruction taking place in Syria? Does this please our Prophet (PBUH)? If Muhammad (PBUH) was among us today, would he be satisfied with what he would witness, from killing, neck slaughtering, accusing of unbelief whoever disagrees with us? Would he be satisfied with demolishing shrines and prayers houses, exhuming the tomb of the Prophet Companion of Hujr Bin Oudai?

How come you feign crying over the sanctity of the Prophet Companions at a time all you do is atrocious sacrilege? Is this the Sunnah of Muhammad Bin Abdullah (PBUH)? Do you really think that a ruling regime can be born from the mass destruction, blasphemy, artilleries, random shelling, and explosions?

Shouldn't you be awake after the barefaced Zionist manifestation in its last attack on Syria? Is this Syria's award for being the state of resistance which, throughout history, has stood by its brothers, on top of whom our Palestinian brothers? Does it suit you and us to remain idle when Syria, the hardest number in the regional equation, is being ravaged by Zionists and countered for its facing the US-Zionist scheme? Does duty call on us to leave the powers of evil and darkness target Syria, with the very clear support of regional powers totally ignoring the welfare and interests of their people?

Does anyone of you remember who was it like before the Islamic Awakening? How the West was roving and roaming the region at large? How the regimes affiliated with the world's supreme powers used to crawl gutlessly before colonizers, to whom they offered their people's money and dignity! Then came the Awakening, followed by popular uprisings, the revolutions of dignity and freedom, which stood in the face of hegemony and affiliation, and returning the Zionist enemy to its normal status as the enemy of the Islamic nation.

That was the mobilization that obfuscated the colonizing West, which at first worked on retaining it; something that would be justified in case of a supposed good intention. But today, after all what happened and is still happening, is there still any doubt that what is happening in Syria is not a proxy war? Mercenaries are destroying Syria in behalf of the world's colonizers, versus a state that is defending itself and the axis and culture of resistance!

He who seeks freedom and democracy does not play down infrastructures: oil and gas facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, plants, the agro sector...He just does not destroy in months what needs years and decades to be rebuilt. It is non-sense to burn a country to light a cigarette. Good intention here does not convince anyone anymore. We shall be aware of the danger stalking us.

Since day one, the position of the Islamic Republic was crystal-clear. We have said it time after time: we are with the legitimate demands of the Syrian people, and we flatly reject violence and foreign intervention. Even more, we reiterate that whoever puts pre conditions for comprehensive dialogue between the regime and the opposition is indeed nipping solution in the bud. He is undoubtedly trying to hamper positive results and attempting to, whether willingly or in compliance with the will of others, transfer the crisis from Syria to its neighborhood and jeopardize the security of the entire region. In my opinion, such a person or camp is working on realizing the goals of foreign powers, whether consciously or unwisely.

Therefore, a decent and transparent electoral political process is the sole solution to the crisis and to allowing the Syrian people to determine its fate, regime, and president. {And Allah turned back the disbelievers in their rage - they gained no advantage. And Allah sufficed the believers in fighting. And Allah is ever Strong, Mighty.} The Syrian people alone is entitled to decide on the ruling regime and the name of the ruler. He who seeks to rectify the situation in this country cannot think as such.

As the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I hope and expect the regional organizations and whoever wields influence on this region to work hard to curb spiraling tensions which is impeding the political solution to the Syrian crisis. I also hope that those who are inciting on and contributing to sending weapons, terrorists, and mercenaries to Syria to stop doing so. By now, they should know that the armed groups in this country have absolutely no values, no principles, and no restraints.

They are irresponsible groups driven by their narrow interests. They should also be aware of the danger of extremism and the wide spread of weapons which threatens the security and the entity of the whole region. He who plays this game in Syria must know that he is exposing himself to the same game. The experience in Afghanistan is still as fresh.

Wouldn't it be way better to send humanitarian aids instead of weapons and gunmen? This is what Iran did, alongside the true friends of the Syrian people.
I honestly started to doubt the good intentions of some players on the Syrian scene, especially the international powers pretending to be protecting the security and stability of the Syrian people, and the regional powers which have always said something and done the exact opposite.

Someone must explain to us why those applying themselves to defending democracy and human rights in Syria abstain from doing so elsewhere!
The Islamic Republic of Iran, which had borne the brunt to convince all parties of the crisis in Syria to resort to dialogue, is now ready to do more. We have engaged in talks with different political viewpoints and declared the doors of Tehran open to everyone, in an effort to remove obstacles halting a national dialogues to be held in Damascus on the basis of { Call to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the best manner. Surely thy Lord knows best him who strays from His path, and He knows best those who go aright.}

We have presented an initiative for the solution and we have voiced support for any initiative based on the political solution. The regime couched flexibility and positivity towards our efforts, and so did some factions of the opposition. I here ask the others: why don't you consider the importance of such initiatives? I hereby announce Iran's full readiness to make any just initiative securing the interests of the Syrian people and restoring and clinching stability in this country succeed. {And if they incline to peace, incline thou also to it, and trust in Allah. Surely He is the Hearer, the Knower}

I would also like to convey Iran's wish to all those working in the making of public opinion to unearth and uncover the strife-aiming conspiracies that are targeting the Islamic nation.

I absolutely believe that Syria is today a testing field, to test those who contributed to bloodshed and flaring up discord, to test those who destroyed the country, those who stood cross-handed , those who saw the tragedies but did nothing. Those shall know that the judgment of history will be cruel and that there shall be no mercy.

I say to my Syrian brothers, be patient, for God is with those who patiently endure. I wholeheartedly hope that Syria goes back to its glory.
Last but not least, it is truly sad to see these energies being wasted to destroy this dear country instead of directing them towards Palestine, the icon of Arabs and Muslims, the key cause of the free people of the world.

Let the good hands stretch out to cease bloodshed in Syria. I seize the chance here to repeat that Iran is open to everyone and is all ears to whoever has a good word to say. It is keeping its doors open to good intentions and efforts, to stop the concocted and designed destruction, to restore life to Syria, the hearth of civilization, history, glory. Let us bring back to Syria and the Syrians the hope, love, and light, so that they enjoy the light of God, God willing: {And to whom Allah gives not light, he has no light.}