Zarif from Munich: Only Dialogue Can Settle Conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen

Conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen can be settled only via political dialogue involving regional players, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Sunday at the Munich Security Conference.

“It can start perhaps with the modest regional dialogue based on generally recognized principles and shared objectives. The forum can promote understanding on a broad spectrum of issues including confidence and security building measures and combating terrorism extremism and sectarianism… I emphasize that the conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain do not have military solutions. Each requires a political solution, when no genuine actor is excluded from the process,” Zarif said.

The Middle East has been experiencing a turmoil since the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011, which led to wars in Syria, Yemen and a number of other countries, as well as to the rise of the ISIL terrorist organization.