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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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| Information | | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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07Jan14
Iran says preconditions to partake in conference on Syria not acceptable
Iran does not accept any preconditions for it to take part in the upcoming conference on Syria crisis in Geneva, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham reiterated here on Tuesday.
"We have always made it clear that we will unconditionally attend any meeting aimed at finding a political solution to (the Syria crisis)," Afkham said in her weekly press conference.
"Different regional countries and influential (political) figures have emphasized Iran's role which would be of help to settle the crisis," she said, adding that, in a recent visit of Iran's foreign minister to Turkey, Turkish authorities also drew on the importance of Iran's role in tackling the problems of the Arab state.
Afkham's words were a reaction to the recent comments of the White House spokesman Jay Carney on Monday in which he said Iran would have to commit itself to the Geneva Communique in order to participate in the upcoming peace conference on Syrian crisis in January.
Iran, a main regional ally of the Syrian government, has said it is ready to play a "constructive" role in the upcoming Geneva II conference on Syria if it is invited. However, Tehran has not supported the Geneva communique in June 2012 which called for a transitional government in Syria.
The purpose of the Geneva II meeting is to move forward on the principles laid out in the Geneva Communique, Carney said, adding that "Obviously you cannot participate constructively if you do not buy into those principles and publicly say so."
"The meeting will merely turn into a political show and will not have a durable achievement if it is held for a meeting sake," said the Iranian spokeswoman, implying that ignoring the influence of Iran in Syria might be a flaw in the results of the talks.
"The Iranian government has very close relations with the Syrian government. Iran has also contacts with some opposition groups of (the Syrian government) which are and can be used for helping find resolution to the problems," Afkham pointed out on Tuesday.
The Geneva II peace conference, scheduled on Jan. 22, is aimed at bringing together the warring sides in Syria to hammer out a political solution that could end the longstanding crisis, which has killed over 115,000 people.
[Source: Xinhua, Tehran, 07Jan14]
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