Valiati: Bashar al-Assad Must Remain in Power Until the End of His Seven-Year Term

On Tuesday, April 26, the international affairs advisor to the Iranian leader announced during a meeting with the Swiss Deputy Foreign Minister that Bashar al-Assad must remain in power until the end of his seven-year presidential term, which is five years away. According to the Iranian news agencies IRNA and Tasnim, Ali Akbar Velayati stated that he informed the Swiss Deputy Foreign Minister that, from the perspective of the Islamic Republic, Bashar al-Assad has been elected as the 'legal' president of Syria for two years and that 'his seven-year presidential term must be fully completed.' Velayati also implied that the holding of parliamentary elections in Syria confirms the continuation of Bashar al-Assad's presidency, stating that 'the Syrian government and people were even unwilling to leave the country without a parliament for a short period.' Velayati had previously referred to Bashar al-Assad as Iran's 'red line' and declared that the Islamic Republic would not 'compromise with the United States over Syria' and does not intend to 'abandon Bashar al-Assad in the battlefield and politics.' Kamel Kharrazi, head of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, had also described Bashar al-Assad's remaining in power until the end of his presidential term as a 'red line' for the Islamic Republic. Bashar al-Assad's current presidential term will continue until 2021. However, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated on October 21 that the Islamic Republic does not wish to keep Bashar al-Assad in power indefinitely. These statements come as White House spokesman Josh Earnest stated that unrest and war in Syria will not end as long as Bashar al-Assad remains in power. A portion of the Syrian population voted on April 14 in areas controlled by Bashar al-Assad's government to elect 250 representatives to the parliament. However, opponents of Bashar al-Assad's government deemed this voting 'illegitimate,' and Britain and France referred to it as 'an unreliable show' and 'shameful.' Velayati also mentioned that Iran and Switzerland had a 'consensus' on fighting against 'terrorists' in Syria. The head of the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Council also stated that both sides agreed that in any solution to the Syrian crisis, the 'territorial integrity' of the country must be preserved. Iranian officials refer to all armed groups opposing Bashar al-Assad as 'terrorist' groups. Yves Rossier, the Swiss Deputy Foreign Minister, who traveled to Tehran for discussions with Iranian officials about the Syrian conflict, had also met with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, on Monday. Iran was not among the countries invited to the Syrian peace talks during the years of sanctions, but after the Vienna nuclear agreement, it was invited to these talks and is currently considered one of the supporting countries for Syria. The five-year war in Syria has left more than 250,000 dead and caused five million Syrians to seek refuge in other countries. According to Stefan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, the total number of people killed in the civil war in Syria over the past five years is estimated to be around 400,000.