Europe’s Foreign Minister Supports Iranian and Russian Roles in Solving Syria Crisis

European Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini was interviewed by Lally Weymouth for Sunday’s Washington Post, while she was in New York City for the UN General Aseembly.  She called for an inclusive political solution to the Syria conflict, “a process where all Syrian parties, regime representatives and opposition, come together and elaborate a common transition plan for the country.  Obviously that excludes terrorist organizations like al-Nusra and ISIL.”

She included Iran in the process, noting that “Iran, for example, has a lot of influence on the regime. I think they understand that this is going to be their first test to see if they can play a constructive role after the deal.”

She defended Russian motives in Syria, telling Weymouth, “From what I understand, Russia’s main worry is that there could be a complete collapse of the state structure in Syria, something similar to what happened in Libya, and that would endanger even the idea of having a transition.  I think everybody realizes it would be impossible to have a future role for Assad in Syria. But a transition means you have the regime present at the table. Imagine what happens if Damascus falls, in terms of refugees…. Russia is taking its seat at the table and saying, `I am here and will be part of the process.’  There is a military component, but we Europeans are convinced that there is no purely military solution to the war.”

She also opposed a no-fly zone, arguing that Syrians will not trust a no-fly zone and will not return to the country until ISIS is defeated.  She also distinguished between Europe and the United States in the context of questions about the refugee crisis, noting that the U.S. is a melting pot and Europe is homogeneous, and must change and grow.