Iran never requested presence in Syria talks: Official

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham says the Islamic Republic had never requested to attend the forthcoming international conference on the Syria crisis.

According to Press TV, at her weekly press briefing in Tehran on Tuesday she said: “Iran has never applied for participation in the Geneva II conference on Syria. This has been our long-held position, and we have unequivocally declared this stance ever since talks about convening of the Geneva II conference got underway.”

Afkham added that Iranian officials had clearly expressed this position in contacts and telephone conversations with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN-Arab League Special Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi over the past few days.

She noted that Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the country’s Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaei had stated that Iran will not accept any preconditions for presence in the Syria talks.

She said the Islamic Republic of Iran has long stressed the need for a political solution to the Syrian crisis both at regional and international levels, emphasizing that Tehran has been a front runner in terms of proposing peaceful solutions for the Syria crisis.

Afkham also stated that Syrian-Syrian talks, non-interference by foreigners in Syria’s affairs, and leaving the fate of Syria to its people are among the most important positions that Iran supports.