Syrians Only Ones Entitled To Make Decisions : Envoy

Tehran, May 28, IRNA – Syrian Ambassador to Tehran Adnan Hassan Mahmud said here on Wednesday that the presidential elections is a step towards restoration of stability and security to the country. In an exclusive interview with IRNA, he stressed that the people are the only ones to have the right to determine their own destiny. He said the Syrians living in Iran are voting for their favorite candidate in a free and democratic way by attending the balloting stations set up in the country. He said Syrian citizens are determined to exercise right for a democratic and free elections through casting their votes in a bid to guarantee their future which would include stability and security, confronting Takfiri terrorists and the countryˈs reconstruction. Syrian nationals in Iran go to the polls today to elect their country’s next president. Syria’s presidential election will start on June 3. Syrians living abroad are set to vote on May 28. Damascus says it will hold the election despite the foreign-backed militancy that has plagued the Arab country for more than three years. Last month, the Syrian government dismissed Western and opposition accusations regarding the presidential election, saying that it is planning to hold a free and transparent election. The country has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. According to some reports, more than 160,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the turmoil./end