Tehran, Dec 16, The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to participate in Geneva II Conference on Syria with no precondition, if it is invited to the gathering, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday evening.
The Iranian foreign minister elaborated on the Islamic Republic’s basic stand of need for resolving the Syrian crisis through political and democratic initiatives, without foreign intervention in a meeting with the head of a European Parliament (EP) delegation.
“In devising any strategy, it is the Syrian people that should decide about their political fate and their future, Iran supports any initiative in that direction, and is ready to participate in Geneva 2 Conference without any preconditions, if it is invited to it,” he added.
The Geneva II Conference on Syria, which will be a follow-up to an earlier one held in June 2012, had been proposed by Moscow and Washington on May 7, but was delayed for several months.
On November 25, however, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the long-delayed event will be held on January 22, 2014.
On December 5, Ban also stressed the necessity of inviting Iran to the Geneva II conference.
ˈIran should be invited to this meeting (Geneva II). I and (UN-Arab League) Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi had made it clear in the past that Iran should be invited to this meeting,” the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.
Syria has been gripped by deadly crisis since March 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey – are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million displaced due to the violence.
The head of the EP delegation Tarja Cronberg, too, said for her part that Iran is an important and influential country in the region and the world.
She expressed delight for visiting Iran and the meetings that the EP delegation has had in this visit, expressing hope for continuation of such contacts between the two parliaments and the establishment of mutual understanding.
