Russia, China to attend Tehran conference on Syria

TEHRAN,May 26(MNA) – Representatives of Russia and China will take part in an international conference on the Syrian crisis to be held in Tehran on Wednesday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Saturday. Syria has been experiencing unrest for more than two years now and thousands of civilians and non-civilians have been killed in the conflict. Amir-Abdollahian also said that the countries which had adopted different policies toward the issue, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, had been invited to attend the meeting. “We welcome their participation, which is a move on the path toward regional cooperation, but the decision whether to participate or not to participate rests with them,” he added. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Foreign Ministry official said that the meeting would be an important step toward finding a political solution to the crisis, which would ensure an end to violence and the establishment of national dialogue. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi had previously said that the motto of the Tehran conference would be “Political Solution and Regional Stability.” He also said that the Islamic Republic believed that the Syrian crisis had no military solution and that a fair political solution should be found through holding negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition. Tehran hosted the Syrian “national dialogue” meeting between representatives of the Syrian government and opposition members on November 18, 2012. The meeting brought together about 200 Syrian figures, including religious leaders, party leaders, political figures, tribal chiefs, and representatives of Syrian opposition groups.