No one can resolve Syria crisis without Iran: MP

A senior Iranian lawmaker says any initiative to end the ongoing crisis in Syria is doomed to failure if Tehran is not involved.

“Americans, who drew inaccurate conclusions in Geneva I, and could not do anything to settle the Syrian issue, will surely make the same mistake in Geneva II, and we will see that their resolutions are not practical and don’t correspond to the realities on the ground,” Vice-Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Majlis Mansour Haqiqatpour said on Monsday.

The first UN-backed peace conference on Syria was held in the Swiss city of Geneva in June 2012. Iran was not invited to that meeting.

“Americans apparently have no clear understanding of the Syrian issue,” he said, adding Washington has not yet come to realize Iran’s status.

“Iran plays a determining role in the resolution of the Syria conflict and no one can settle the Syria crisis without Iran.” Haqiqatpour added

He also criticized Saudi Arabia’s participation in the forthcoming internationally brokered peace talks between Syria’s warring sides.

“Saudi Arabia, which is a regional element capable of organizing a large number of suicide bombers and sending them to the region, is taking part in the [Geneva II] conference. In addition, Suadi Arabia possesses numerous financial resources that can be spent on US projects and plans,” the Iranian MP noted.

Haqiqatpour further highlighted that Tehran is not insisting on its presence in the coming Syria peace talks, stating that Westerners will lose if Iran dose not take part in the event.

On Saturday, Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi stressed the necessity of Iran’s participation in the upcoming peace conference on the ongoing crisis in his country.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov stressed on Friday that Iran should be invited to the upcoming international peace talks, emphasizing that the Syrian crisis could not be settled without Iran’s engagement.

UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi told media on Friday that Iran’s participation in the Syria peace conference, scheduled for January 22 in the Swiss city of Montreux, near Geneva, had not been decided yet due to the US opposition.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly crisis since 2011. Reports indicate that the Western powers and their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey – are supporting the militants operating inside the country.

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