US militaristic gesture failed in Syria

US militaristic gesture failed in Syria

A senior Iranian lawmaker has reaffirmed Tehran’s position that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria, saying the US militaristic gesture has failed in the Arab country.

“The Geneva I conference [on Syria] was held and it was proven to all countries that what the Islamic Republic of Iran insisted on was true, that the Syrian crisis cannot be resolved militarily, and even the Americans with their military posturing were forced to withdraw and give up,” Spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran’s Majlis Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said on Saturday.

“To be realistic, we should say that the Islamic Republic of Iran is among the countries most instrumental in the settlement of the Syrian crisis and has since the beginning emphasized that only a political approach can resolve the Syrian crisis, which was opposed by the US and its allies,” he added.

The legislator said that most countries have stressed the importance of Iran’s participation in the upcoming Geneva II conference, adding that they have confirmed that the ongoing crisis in Syria would not be resolved without Iran’s presence.

“However, the Americans oppose Iran’s participation in the Geneva II conference because they are trying to secure their own objectives and interests and know that they cannot gain their interests if Iran attends the meeting,” Hosseini pointed out.

Speaking at a news conference in New York on Monday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Iran should be invited to the international conference aimed at finding a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi told media on December 20 that Iran’s participation in the Syria conference has not been decided yet due to the US opposition.

The UN has set January 22, 2014, as the opening date for the event.