“Although certain governments oppose Tehran’s participation in resolving the Syrian crisis, there is no doubt that Iran is an influential player in Syria,” Pankin told IRNA on Wednesday.
He also made a reference to a resolution proposed by Russia to the UN Security Council on Syria and stated that Moscow has its red lines on Damascus.
Armed groups in Syria should accept the cease-fire and resolve problems in the country through negotiations, the diplomat said.
Russia will proceed with its talks in the UN Security Council in order to reach a consensus, Pankin pointed out.
On July 10, Russia set forth a resolution on Syria before the UN Security Council that included no threat of sanctions against Damascus. It would also extend the UN observer mission in Syria.
The draft resolution was then sent to 14 other members of the Security Council for consideration.
Syria has been the scene of deadly unrest since mid-March 2011 and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters. But Damascus blames ''outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups'' for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
The anti-Syria Western governments have been calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. However, Russia and China remain strongly opposed to the Western drive to oust Assad.
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