Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt should be invited to Geneva 3 conference on Syria - Russian deputy foreign minister

MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. Geneva 3 conference on Syria should include those countries that can influence the process, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told TASS on Thursday. "We still think that not inviting Iran to Geneva 2 was a mistake," Bogdanov, who also serves as the Russian president’s special representative for Middle East and Africa, said. "More influential sides should be invited - Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, maybe even Syria’s neighboring countries, Egypt. UN Security Council permanent members should also participate, at least US and Russia," he added. "The conference should take place under the UN auspices, with participation of [UN] secretary general and UN special representative for Syria Staffan de Mistura," Bogdanov said. "The basis of this format are inter-Syrian negotiations between the government and the opposition," the diplomat added. Moscow meetings and Geneva discussions are in line with joint efforts on preparing for full-format Geneva 3 conference, he noted. "De Mistura’s contacts in Geneva, contacts between Syrians, Syrian opposition - it all goes in the framework of preparations for Geneva 3," Bogdanov said. "This is the format for inter-Syrian talks outlined in the Geneva communique from June 30, 2012, that is, between the government and different groups of the Syrian opposition, as well as the Syrian society, with support of international community and under the UN auspices," he added. Geneva consultations on Syria The goal of the Geneva consultations is to analyze the current situation following three years since the Geneva Communique of June 30, 2012 was adopted. Staffan de Mistura is due to listen to the sides’ view on the prospects of the implementation of the communique, which sets the task of switching to the peaceful settlement in Syria through talks between the government and the opposition’s transitional governing body. The UN special envoy on Syria said earlier the Geneva consultations would be based on the results of the dialogue in Moscow. De Mistura said he believed the consultations in the Russian capital were very useful. There were two rounds of the intra-Syrian dialogue in Moscow - in January and in early April. The so-called "Moscow Platform" was adopted following the latest consultations - a document that in particular stipulates peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict on the basis of the principles of the Geneva Communique. According to UN data, fighting between Syrian government troops and militants has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced millions since its start in 2011. Read more