Iran Geneva II invitation U-turn disgrace for UN: MP

An Iranian legislator says the UN withdrawal of its Geneva II invitation to Iran marks a disgrace for the world body, saying the move showed the organization’s subservience to colonial powers.

“Iran had never asked for participation in the Geneva II conference on Syria, and was not eager to attend the event. They invited the country because they knew that the Syrian crisis could not be resolved without Iran’s presence,” spokesman for the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Seyyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said on Tuesday.

He added that Tehran had declared that it would not accept any preconditions for participation in the Syria talks, and the fact that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon rescinded his invitation to Iran under pressure from terrorist, Takfiri and Salafist groups is deplorable.

“These groups set a six-hour deadline for the UN, and the secretary-general could not stand up to them. This attests to the world body’s subservience to colonial powers,” the Iranian lawmaker pointed out.

On Monday, United Nations Secretary-General rescinded his invitation to Iran to participate in the Geneva II conference under pressure from the United States and the so-called Syria opposition.

The US said the UN must take back its invitation unless Tehran publicly backs the June 2012 Geneva communiqué. The so-called Syrian National Council (SNC) also threatened to skip the upcoming Syria talks entirely in case of Iran’s participation.

The 2012 Geneva communiqué outlines measures for transition of power in Syria, and its key demand means Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will have to step down.