Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Readouts | Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General
The Secretary-General held a meeting today with His Excellency Mr. Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the sidelines of the Syria Donors Conference in London.
The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister exchanged views on the current situation in Syria. The Secretary-General told the Foreign Minister that he very much regretted that increased aerial bombing, as well as petty procedural issues, had forced his Special Envoy to temporarily postpone the Syria talks. He underscored the need for these talks to restart later this month and, in that regard, the Secretary-General stressed the importance of the upcoming meeting in Munich of the International Syria Support Group.
The Secretary-General told the Foreign Minister that Iran could play a positive role in the effort to achieve a cessation of violence in Syria so as to put an end to the suffering of the Syrian people and allow humanitarian aid delivery.
The two also discussed the situation in Yemen. The Secretary-General told the Foreign Minister that he urged all parties with influence on the conflict to urge the Yemeni parties to support the efforts by his Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, resume the political talks. The Secretary-General also stressed the need to reduce regional tensions that are creating problems in so many countries.