Al Arabiya, 18 Sep 2012 – William Hague said he was “sceptical” that the Egyptian proposed contact group, which includes Iran, would come up with a solution to the Syrian crisis.
Speaking to the foreign affairs select committee, Hague said Britain was not opposed to Iran’s involvement in trying to broker a diplomatic solution. But he defended Britain’s objection to Iran’s involvement at peace talks in Geneva over the summer.
He said:
They [Iran] are a country that is actively engaged in assisting the Assad regime in the oppression of the people in Syria, and the murder of many people in Syria. So they are unlikely, given that posture, to play an constructive role in the kind of solution we would think is reasonable.
However, Egypt has called together a group of four, which includes Iran. We haven’t criticised that, but we are sceptical as to whether such a group would come up with an agreement that was viable for the people of Syria.
Hague also admitted that the UN’s Security Council was “in deadlock” over Syria. He described Russia’s stance on Syria as “self-defeating” after it veto of three UN draft resolutions. “We are working to change that,” he said.
Hague was pessimistic about the Syria crisis: “We don’t hide from the awfulness of the situation and the likelihood that it will deteriorate.”
The foreign secretary defended Britain’s decision to provide non-lethal support to Syrian rebels as an initiative aimed at saving lives. But he admitted there were risks associated with the policy.