Iran president urges France to play productive role in Middle East

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has hailed the defeat of Daesh terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, saying France can play a “productive role” in the Middle East by pursuing a “realistic and impartial approach.”

“We believe that France, by maintaining its independence of opinion and its position in the region, can, with a realistic and impartial approach, have a productive role,” Rouhani said in a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.

“The main objective of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region is to fight against terrorism and we believe that after [the fall of] Daesh, other terrorist groups must be also countered.”

Backed by popular groups and Iranian military advisors, armed forces in Iraq and Syria have managed to flush Daesh militants out of their last strongholds in both countries, declaring full victory over the notorious terror group.

The recapture of the two cities marked an end to Daesh’s reign of terror, which started in 2014 with the group making vast territorial gains in a lightning offensive and establishing its self-proclaimed “caliphate” in the Iraqi city of Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqah.

The Iranian president also emphasized that the Islamic Republic’s presence in Syria and Iraq was at the request of their legitimate governments with the purpose of battling terrorism and reiterated that Tehran does not seek to dominate the region.

“Iran’s objective is to help [promote] peace and security in the region and prevent the breakup of countries,” Rouhani added.

He warned that acts of adventurism by some inexperienced princes in the region would be detrimental to the entire regional countries, saying, “We oppose adventurism and the creation of division in this region.”

He emphasized that regional countries must maintain their vigilance not to fall into the trap laid by the Israeli regime and said the Lebanese resistance movement “Hezbollah is a part of the Lebanese people and is exceptionally popular in this country (Lebanon) and its weapons are merely for defensive purposes and for use in the face of possible attacks on Lebanon.”

“Now we all have to try so that Lebanese groups could, in security, have a government that can help advance their country,” Rouhani pointed out.

Need for constructive talks in region

The French president, for his part, said his country supports the continuation of constructive talks among countries in the region to promote stability and security.

As a mediator, Paris is seeking to reduce tensions and boost stability in the region, Macron added.

He expressed hope that the ongoing conflicts in Yemen and Syria would end and peace would be restored to these war-ravaged countries as soon as possible.

The French president invited his Iranian counterpart to make a visit to Paris to take part in an environmental conference in December.

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