Top Iranian, British FM Officials to pursue resumption of ties

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his British counterpart William Hague in a meeting in New York agreed to pursue the resumption of the severed relations between the two countries through their deputies. "In this meeting (between Zarif and Hague), the bilateral relations and resumption of ties were reviewed and the two top diplomats agreed to study the different dimensions and the way of doing so through meetings to be held between their deputies  on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting (underway in New York)," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham told reporters in her weekly press conference in Tehran on Tuesday. Zarif and Hague held a meeting on the sidelines of the 68th annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, during which the British foreign secretary highlighted the constructive role of Iran in the settlement of the Syrian crisis, and called for more interaction between international bodies and Tehran to find new peaceful solutions to the ongoing bloodshed in Syria. Afkham said that the Iranian and British foreign ministers have also discussed the Syrian crisis, and added, "International topics and the Syrian issue were raised at this meeting, and given Iran's special and influential status in regional issues, Zarif explained Iran's views about the Syrian issue." "During the talks, Mr. Zarif laid emphasis on (the need for) a political solution to the Syrian crisis," she added. "Given the fact that we are on the threshold of a new round of nuclear negotiations, some related views were also exchanged on the issue in this meeting," Afkham said, stressing that "the meeting between the Iranian and British foreign ministers was a step forward". Late in August, UN Undersecretary General Jeffrey D. Feltman also underscored Iran's influential role in settling the regional crises, and hailed the country's cooperation with regional and international bodies in various fields. Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs and terrorists against the Syrian armed forces and people. Tens of thousands of the people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, ever since some protest rallies turned into armed clashes. The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots to topple President Bashar al-Assad, who is well known in the world for his anti-Israeli stances. In recent days, the US, Israel and France have adopted the rhetoric of war against Syria over allegations that the Syrian government was behind a recent chemical attack near Damascus.