Japanese premier’s envoy to visit Iran to discuss Syria

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s special representative will reportedly pay an official visit to Iran this week to exchange views with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the ongoing crisis in Syria.

According to Japan’s Foreign Ministry, Masahiko Komura, vice president of the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), will leave for Tehran on Friday for two days of negotiations with the Iranian officials, Japanese media reported.

Komura, who is a former Japanese foreign minister, is also expected to discuss bilateral relations between Tehran and Tokyo as well as other international issues during his stay.

Commenting on his upcoming visit, the Japanese official told local media that he will urge Iran, as an influential country, to play a role in resolving the deadly conflict gripping Syria.

Komura's visit to Tehran will come as the call for military action against the crisis-hit Syria has intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.

Following the claims, the United States and a number of its allies were quick to engage in a major propaganda campaign to promote war against Syria despite the fact that Damascus has categorically rejected being behind the attack.

On August 26, Assad said failure awaits Washington - the staunch ally of the Israeli regime - if it wages war on Syria, describing the recent allegations against Damascus as an “insult to common sense” and “nonsense.”

Iran, Russia and China, among other countries, have warned against foreign military intervention in Syria, which has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011.

PressTV