South China Sea dispute should be solved through dialogues: Iranian party official

The disputes concerning the South China Sea should be solved through dialogues and direct talks, Mehdi Soli, the international deputy of Iran's Islamic Motalefeh Party, told Xinhua on Wednesday.

The recent U.S. interventions in the southeastern Asia disputes, particularly over South China Sea, have increased dramatically, which is un-constructive and source of tensions among the regional states, Soli said.

"We emphasize that the regional issues and differences should be settled by the countries of the region, and the intervention of non-regional powers is not acceptable in this regard," he said.

The Iranian political expert drew on the arbitration from an international tribunal over the South China Sea disputes and said "When two countries are at odds over a certain issue, they should firstly resort to direct talks and dialogue."

"However, if they cannot tackle the issue within the framework of international documents, and if both sides agree with the arbitration of an international tribunal, then the case can be sent to an international institution to deal with the issue," he said.

In 2013, the Philippines unilaterally filed compulsory arbitration against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague with respect to the two sides' disputes in the South China Sea.

The Chinese government has reiterated its non-acceptance and non-participation stance in the case.

On Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Motalefeh Party availed Xinhua with a statement concerning the South China Sea disputes, in which it urged the United States to "refrain from the stances which violate the sovereignty of the countries and affects their peace and stability."

"The United States should also avoid provocative measures and inflaming the differences in this regard," it read.

"This is without question that the U.S. maritime and aerial patrolling in the territorial waters of other states is not acceptable under any pretext," according to the statement.

"Within this framework and based on the international agreements and conventions, the People's Republic of China is entitled not to allow any violation of its territorial sovereignty," it said.

Direct and regional dialogue is the only means to settle the disputes over the South China Sea, the statement stressed, adding that historical facts, legal documents, international regulations, and mutual respects to the territorial sovereignty of the countries are the criteria in the dialogues to solve the issue, it concluded. Endit