Iran plays key role in Middle East: Lebanon

Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour says the Islamic Republic of Iran plays a constructive role in resolving problems in the Middle East region.

“European and Western countries have realized that it is impossible to solve the problems of regional countries without drawing on Iran’s positive role,” Mansour said in a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Ghazanfar Roknabadi on Thursday.

The Lebanese minister pointed to attempts by UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis in Syria, calling on all sides to remain committed to working out a political solution to the unrest in the Arab country.

He expressed hope the Geneva II conference on the Syrian crisis would be held in the near future.

No specific date has been set for the Geneva II conference so far. The date of the meeting has changed many times as Syria’s foreign-backed opposition coalition remains divided over attending the event.

Russia, China and the UN have urged the presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the conference.

The Iranian ambassador, for his part, outlined the country’s stance on the latest regional and international developments.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has, from the outset, emphasized the ineffectiveness of military measures in Syria, and considers a political settlement as the only correct and logical solution, and it remains committed to [finding] a political solution,” Roknabadi said.

“Iran believes that violence in Syria must be stopped and that it would be impossible to achieve this goal without ending the supply of money and weapons from outside to Syria,” the Iranian envoy added.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the violence.