Geneva talks not to yield results without Iran

A high-ranking Russian official says the forthcoming international conference in Geneva to seek an end to the Syrian crisis will not succeed to bear fruit in the absence of Iran.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday that Moscow and Washington are still divided over Tehran’s participation in the conference slated for June.
Nevertheless, the Russian Foreign Ministry believes that the event would not be successful if Iran were not invited.
On May 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the necessity of Iran’s presence in the upcoming Geneva talks.
He said: “The issue of Iran is key for us. Iran, without question, is one of the most important nations.”
Russia and the United States agreed in Moscow on May 7 to convene an international conference on Syria, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting held in June 2012.
On May 26, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said that his country agrees in principle to attend US-Russia-backed conference.
Speaking at a joint news conference in Baghdad with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari, he said, “I informed the Iraqi prime minister of Syria’s decision that the government agreed in principle to send an official delegation to the Geneva peace conference that will take place in June.”