Iran leader says Syria needs fresh elections

Iran’s supreme leader dismisses the prospect of foreign countries bartering a deal over Syria’s future, saying a halt to fighting and fresh elections is the only solution.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also repeats his ban on direct talks with the United States about turmoil in the Middle East, saying US objectives in the region were utterly at odds with Iranian policy.

The comments, to Iran’s ambassadors and other top diplomats, were Khamenei’s first since his country on Friday joined international talks in Vienna on the four-year Syrian conflict.

In a wide-ranging speech on foreign policy, Khamenei says Syria’s people must choose for themselves who their leader would be, rather than US and other foreign powers deciding for them.

“The Americans seek to impose their own interests, not solve problems. They want to impose 60, 70 percent of their will in negotiations. So what’s the point of negotiations?” he said, appearing to discount the value of the Vienna talks.

— AFP