Representatives of foreign delegations observing Syria’s presidential elections stressed Wednesday that the voting process in Syria’s presidential elections was fair and marked by high turnout.

The representatives were speaking during a consultative meeting of parliamentarians, independent figures and NGOs who came to Syria upon the People’s Assembly’s invitation to oversee how the balloting ran.

The concluding statement of the meeting hailed the elections for being held on time and according to constitutional schedule in a democratic, transparent and fair atmosphere.

It lauded as “a notable progress” the first multi-candidate competitive presidential voting of Syria, which it said marks an improvement in the country’s political process and lays the foundation for a new political stage.

The Syrian government’s measures and the people’s determination to hold the presidential election despite all security threats launched by terrorist groups are worthy of praise, the statement added.

The delegations viewed the high voter turnout at home and abroad as a proof of the Syrian people’s preference for the political option to any “violent” solution.

The statement held the US and its allies responsible for the crimes committed against the Syrian people, calling on the countries supporting terrorism to halt all kinds of support to the terrorists.

The delegations called in their statement for respecting the results of Syria’s elections and its people’s will to determine their country’s future through the ballot boxes without interference by any foreign party.

Joseph Iosbaker of the Anti-War Committee-Chicago said that upon visiting Homs city, his delegation felt the suffering to which the Syrian people are being exposed, inflicted largely with the backing of the US.

The delegation, he added, also noticed the Syrians’ sense of victory which was clearly evident by the massive voter turnout to polling stations, affirming that the voting was quite fair.

Irish researcher Declan Hayes said that most of the citizens whom he gauged their opinion said they voted for President Bashar al-Assad for another 7-year term.

An Indian MP, for his part, said he saw in the wide participation in the Syrian presidential voting a message of rejection of terrorism and the hostile policies of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the US and Israel.

The massive turnout, he added, also sent another message of the steadfastness of the axis of resistance and increased popular support for President al-Assad.