THE people of Syria have a right to self-determination, the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the ICP said: “The change that has taken place in Syria is isolated from external interventions and agendas of regional and international powers.”

But, they said: “This means that Syria is not yet safe, especially with the presence of extremist and terrorist forces, the ambitions and interests of neighbouring countries and Israel’s aggressive and expansionist plans which it has revealed by occupying the buffer zone and launching raids on sites inside Syria.”

The ICP said it demanded “respect for the right of the Syrian people to determine their affairs and make free choices,” and “the importance of all Syrian political parties and forces working to spare the country further chaos and bloody conflicts, achieve security and stability, secure the return of the displaced and establish the foundations of a democratic, pluralistic system of government.”

The statement said: “All forces and countries must also respect Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.”

The ICP called on all forces and countries to work to ensure Syrian sovereignty “and compel the zionist entity to respect the 1974 ceasefire agreement and stop its repeated attacks on Syria and its cities.”