De Mistura: Tensions Between Tehran and Riyadh Will Not Affect the Resolution of the Syrian Crisis

The UN envoy for Syria stated that he has been assured in Tehran and Riyadh that the ongoing crisis in Saudi-Iranian relations will not impact the resolution process of the Syrian crisis. Stefan de Mistura, who met with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, in Tehran on Sunday, told reporters that the Saudi Foreign Minister assured him that the country's stance towards Iran would not negatively affect the resolution process of the Syrian crisis, and a similar guarantee was provided by the Iranian Foreign Minister. De Mistura, who had also traveled to Riyadh the previous week, recalled that prior to his visits to the capitals of Iran and Saudi Arabia, the effects of the diplomatic break between Tehran and Riyadh on the peace process in Syria were his main concern. The UN envoy emphasized that the Syrian talks scheduled for January 25 in Geneva 'can still begin in a proper atmosphere.' He stated: 'I can refer you to the words of Foreign Minister Zarif, who said there is no reason for the current tensions to affect the current actions of the Vienna agreement [regarding Syria] - in which Iran is very involved.' In November of this year, foreign ministers from nearly 20 key countries in resolving the Syrian crisis, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, reached an agreement on the political transition timeline in Syria during the second Syria crisis meeting in Vienna, and about a month later, in late December, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on the Syrian peace process. This resolution called for the establishment of a 'legitimate, inclusive, and non-sectarian government' within the next six months and the holding of 'free and fair elections based on a new constitution within the next 18 months.' The UN is working to hold peace talks among Syrian groups on January 25 in Geneva, and the Bashar al-Assad government has also welcomed participation in these talks. Meanwhile, while the UN is seeking to prepare for these talks, tensions in Iranian-Saudi relations have widely fueled concerns about escalating unrest in the Middle East, with various countries expressing worries about the potential impacts of these tensions on the Syrian peace process. This concern led Stefan de Mistura, the UN envoy for Syria, to visit Iran and Saudi Arabia last week, and the outcome of this trip was expressed in de Mistura's words that the existing tensions do not affect 'the participation and cooperation [of Tehran and Riyadh] in supporting the UN's efforts to initiate constructive Syrian talks.' Riyadh fully supports the Syrian talks, but on Sunday, Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, who was in Cairo for an extraordinary meeting of Arab League foreign ministers, told reporters that despite the severing of relations with Iran, his country continues to support efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis. He emphasized that Saudi Arabia has previously expressed its support for the Syrian opposition and efforts for a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Syria. The Saudi Foreign Minister stated that they still believe in this matter, and despite the differences with Iran, they fully support the peace process. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Minister accused Saudi Arabia of attempting to negatively influence the Syrian crisis on the same day and emphasized that Iran would not allow 'Saudi's provocative approaches to have a negative impact on resolving the Syrian crisis.'