ASTANA. July 4 (Interfax) - The Syrian opposition disagrees with Iran monitoring one of de-escalation areas in Syria, a delegation member, Yaher Abdrahim, told Interfax.
"No, we don't agree. The entire opposition does not agree to the Iranian forces' presence. Today we notified the UN secretary general's special envoy de Mistura that in the event of Iranian blue helmets present in Syria we will be fighting," the opposition delegate said.
The Syrian opposition is ready to cooperate on de-escalation areas without Iran, Abdrahim said. "The Astana process is a military gathering to determine the de-escalation areas and application mechanisms. If we agree on Iran's non-presence, we will be able to reach agreement. We disagree with the presence of any grouping of Iranians," Abdrahim said.
Only Russia and Turkey should run the de-escalation area, and it is Russia that must decide the issue of Iran's exclusion, he said. "If they are a great power, and capable of deciding this issue, they should keep the Iranians out. As the opposition, we honor the terms of the truce. For us, Turkey is a guarantor, but for the regime only Russia must be," Abdrahim said.
For its part, the opposition is ready to assist with reducing tensions. "The opposition will comply with the detente, in order to move to another, political, level. We thank the Kazakh side which played a big role in establishing peace. We are observing this truce as the first stage," Abdrahim said.