Moscow: Iran Presence In Syria Int'l Confab Necessary

Moscow, June 10, IRNA – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov, by referring to Iran position among regional countries, said that Iran presence in the future Syria conference is necessary and effective. Gatilov said on Saturday that Tehran has special ties with Damascus and has influence in the region, IRNA quoted Russian Voice Radio. He added that Russian proposal for holding a conference on Syria is more attractive than Kofi Annan's proposal to establish a working group to solve Syrian crisis. The official said that Russia proposal has been interesting for Kofi Annan too, and he is ready to cooperate with Moscow in this concern. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also underlined on Saturday that not inviting Iran to the future Syria conference is a “ mistake”. Referring to the US opposition to Iran presence in the conference, Lavrov said that Moscow is trying to find a solution to Syrian crisis through diplomatic means, adding that Moscow wants to reach a comprehensive agreement with international community and presence of President Assad opposition groups and Iran in the conference would be helpful for us to achieve this goal./end