“We proceed from the fact that Iran should be among its participants, along with countries neighboring with Syria and other states that have influence on Syrian sides,” the press office of the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
The Russian foreign minister is also scheduled to hold talks with Iranian officials on the preparation for the upcoming round of talks between Iran and six major world powers (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany) in Moscow.
During a press briefing on June 9, Lavrov proposed that an international conference on Syria be held with the aim of supporting the peace plan brokered by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.
“We want this event to be effective. In order to be effective, all the sides with any influence on the sides in the Syrian conflicts should be represented there. Iran is one such country,” he pointed out.
Lavrov also said that although the truce in Syria has been shaky, there is “no alternative” to the Annan plan and suggested that the plan be made more "detailed" and "specified."
Annan’s six-point plan, effective from mid-April, calls for the establishment of a ceasefire as well as political dialogue between the Syrian government and the armed rebels.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.
While the West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of the killings, Damascus blames ''outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups'' for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
press tv/281
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to visit Tehran this week to discuss regional developments as well as Moscow’s proposal for convening an international conference on Syria with Iranian officials, the Russian Foreign Ministry says.
News ID 181906
