Iran After Success of Geneva II Conference on Syria: Deputy FM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian deputy foreign minister expressed Tehran’s resolve to help the upcoming Geneva 2 conference yield results, saying even if Tehran was not invited to the conference it would do its best to give fresh impetus to efforts to find a political solution to Syria's crisis.
“We will continue our efforts to push for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, even if we do not attend the Geneva II conference,” Hossein Amir Abdollahian, deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, said in a Saturday meeting with UN-Arab League Special Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, here in Tehran.
He also urged the regional countries to prepare the ground in a way that the Syrian nation would be able to decide the fate of their own country, and noted, “no plan should be imposed on the Syrian government and nation from outside (Syria).”
Brahimi, for his part, described the participation of all influential countries in the upcoming conference as the leading factor to guarantee its success, and also put a great emphasis on Iran’s attendance in Geneva.
Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif Iran would accept an invitation to take part in the Geneva 2 conference, because it is determined to help the Syrian nation find a negotiated settlement to the crisis in the Arab country.
“If invited to the Geneva II conference, the Islamic Republic of Iran will definitely attend the meeting with the resolve to assist the Syrian nation in finding a political solution through dialogue,” Zarif said on Saturday.
On Saturday Brahimi said Iran should be invited to planned peace talks in Geneva.
"We believe that the participation of Iran in the Geneva conference is natural and necessary as well as fruitful, so we are hopeful that this invitation is made," Lakhdar Brahimi told a news conference in Tehran.
"The secretary general of the United Nations, I and lots of other people, we are waiting, we want to see Iran take part in the conference," he added.
Earlier this month, US State Department said the United States might agree with Iran's participation in a potential Geneva II talks over Syria if Tehran backed the "Geneva I Communiqué" which called for a transitional government in Syria.
Thereafter, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham announced that her country would not accept any precondition for attending peace talks on Syria.
"If our presence (in peace talks on Syria) will help find a solution, setting precondition for inviting Iran to the talks is not acceptable, and we do not accept any condition," Afkham said.
The final communiqué issued on 30 June 2012, following the meeting of the so-called Action Group for Syria called for an immediate cessation of violence and the establishment of a transitional government that could include officials serving under President Bashar al-Assad and members of the opposition.