“The opposition of the US and UK to the plan offered by [Syrian President] Bashar [al-Assad] once again indicated that the West along with the reactionary Arab states in the region merely aims to harm the [anti-Israel] resistance and omit Syria from the regional equations,” said Abbas Rajaei in a Monday interview.
In a key speech on Sunday, Assad called for an end to the terrorist operations inside Syria and urged "concerned states and parties" to stop funding, arming and harboring militants.
Assad added that his government is always ready to hold talks with the opposition and political parties and would call for a “comprehensive national dialog” after foreign parties end their support for the militants and the terrorist activities end in the country.
“Today, Damascus is at war with the enemies, not the opposition, and the three-step plan that the Syrian president announced for resolving the crisis in his country can restore peace and stability to the country without intervention of foreign states,” Rajaei added.
The Iranian lawmaker slammed foreign opposition to Assad’s new plan as nonsensical, and noted that it is only for the Syrian nation to accept or reject any initiative offered to resolve the crisis in Syria.
On Sunday, the United States and Britain dismissed Assad’s latest initiative and reiterated call for his ouster.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the peace initiative, outlined by Assad, is "detached from reality" and he should step down.
British Prime Minister David Cameron reacted similarly and called on Assad to step down.
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