MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Syrian armed groups should start talks with Damascus after the establishment of a ceasefire, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said Tuesday.
"All other armed groups after the ceasefire should begin a political process and negotiations with the Syrian government," Dehghan told RT.
27 December 2016, 06:58 GMT
Responding to the question how soon an agreement on the ceasefire could be reached, he said that "this requires real guarantees in the sense that all have to agree to a complete ceasefire and fulfill the obligation to punish any party violating that regime."
"We cannot allow the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra [Nusra Front] to be parties to that agreement," Dehghan said.
He said Syrian opposition armed groups must dissociate themselves from terrorists after the establishment of a comprehensive ceasefire.
