[caption id="attachment_63130" align="alignright" width="168"] Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov[/caption]
Russia has once again called for Iran’s participation in the Geneva II conference on Syria, describing the Islamic Republic as a key regional player that can contribute to the settlement of the conflict in the Middle Eastern country.
“We believe that Tehran is an important regional player and can play a positive role in resolving the Syrian crisis. Our view is shared by UN-Arab League Special Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Wednesday.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also supported Iran’s participation in the international event.

On May 7, Russia and the US agreed in the Russian capital of Moscow to convene an international conference on Syria, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting held in June 2012.

The event has been delayed for months, but Moscow and Washington are now trying to fix a date in November.

Iran has said that it is ready to take part in the planned Geneva II conference on the Syrian crisis “if invited without any preconditions.”

Gatilov also warned that any precondition by Syria’s opposition for attending the conference would hamper efforts to find a solution to the turmoil in the Arab country.
“It is imperative that all parties to the conflict come to the talks without any preconditions and work on the problem at the same table,” he said.
Khaled Saleh, a spokesman for the foreign-backed opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC), said Sunday that the coalition will only attend the talks in Geneva if the militants inside the country support the peace process.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. Reports indicate that the Western powers and their regional allies, especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants operating inside the country.

By Press TV

The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.