Syria

Syria crisis can’t be solved without Iran: Iranian official

354894_Iran-official-RezaeiSecretary of Iran’s Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei says the international efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in Syria will not succeed without Tehran’s engagement.

“Until Iran enters this dialogue they cannot fix this problem,” Rezaei said in an exclusive interview with Lebanon’s English-language newspaper, The Daily Star, in Tehran on Saturday.

The senior Iranian official further noted that Iran is ready to cooperate with the international community to stabilize the Middle East, stressing that the Islamic Republic has already demonstrated that it prioritizes regional security.

“We really want the Syrian people to come together, have dialogue and implement real political reforms in Syria,” Rezaei pointed out, adding, “We don’t have any problem with Syrian opposition groups that have logic. We will never oppose them. We believe they and (President Bashar) al-Assad’s government can work together to bring about reforms.”

On Saturday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon highlighted Iran’s role in resolving the crisis in Syria, urging Tehran to use its influence on Damascus to help revive the talks aimed at ending the conflict in the Arab country.

“Iran is one of the important regional countries who can play an important role, including impressing upon the Syrian authorities to come to the Geneva conference in a more constructive way,” Ban added.

Meanwhile, UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is scheduled to arrive in Iran on Sunday afternoon to discuss the crisis in Syria with senior Iranian officials in Tehran.

Syria has been the scene of deadly violence since March 2011. The Western powers and their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey – have been supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

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