US fails to reach goals in Geneva 2: Top Iranian diplomat

An Iranian Foreign Ministry official says the United States has failed to achieve its desired results from the Geneva 2 conference on Syria’s crisis.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said late on Thursday that “the US logic, which was based on putting pressure on the Syrian opposition groups, could not yield favorable results,” IRNA reported.

He went on to say that it was clear for analysts that the talks would not be successful, because the delegation representing the opposition was not selected accurately.

Amir-Abdollahian added that Washington tried to turn the outcome of the talks to its own benefit by entering the circle of the Syrian opposition groups.

He said that the US cannot change the political sovereignty in Syria through psychological warfare and propaganda.

The talks aimed at finding a political solution to the crisis kicked off in the Swiss town of Montreux on January 22.

The opposition and its Western supporters insist that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must step down and a transitional government be formed in Syria.

Damascus rejects the demand, arguing that the foreign-backed Syrian National Coalition does not represent the Syrian opposition.

On Wednesday, UN-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi said there is a “quite large” gap between the rival sides in the ongoing Geneva 2 conference.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly turmoil since March 2011. The foreign-sponsored militancy in the Arab country has so far killed over 100,000 people and displaced millions of others.