Analyst: Syria Crisis to Remain Unresolved without Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – It is practically impossible to resolve the Syrian crisis in the absence of the influential powers at Geneva 2 Conference, and Iran, as a regional power, should be present there if the objective is problem solving, said a Lebanese analyst on Sunday.
“The presence of all influential powers is needed in the (Geneva) gathering for the Syrian crisis to be resolved,” Head of Lebanon’s Delta Center for in- Depth Research Mahmoud Heydar told the Tasnim News Agency.
He said that the West and the Middle Eastern countries cannot ignore the fact that Tehran has turned into a major player without whose participation the Syrian stalemate would not break.
"Settlement of the impasse in Syria is impossible without the active presence of Tehran... In my opinion, Iran is ready to throw its weight behind political and diplomatic initiatives aimed at finding a resolution for the crisis and is willing to play an active role. This makes the participation of Tehran in Geneva 2 imperative," he added.
On the outcome of such a gathering the Lebanese analyst said: “The presence of Tehran at the gathering indicates the fact that Iran has geo-strategically turned into a regional power and that the westerners have acknowledged the fact,” said the Lebanese analyst.
Mahmoud Heydar said that such an admission by the western countries, particularly the Americans, would do Iran no good, but it is still important not least because it amounts to accepting the new realities in the region and the new balance of power that has taken place in the Middle East and across the world.
On October 23, Iranian parliament speaker lashed out at the US officials for laying down certain conditions for Tehran’s participation in an upcoming conference on Syrian crisis in Geneva, saying the Islamic Republic has also its own conditions for attending the gathering.
“Iran attends the Geneva II (conference) when only a democratic solution based upon the Syrian people’s votes would be the basis of discussions,” Ali Larijani told a Wednesday session of the parliament.
Earlier this month, the US State Department said that Washington would be open to Iran taking part in a Geneva 2 conference if it supported the Geneva 1 statement which called for a transitional authority to rule Syria, but Tehran has rejected this, saying it was unacceptable to set conditions on its attendance.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham, too, had announced earlier that her country would not accept any precondition for attending peace talks on Syria.
"If our presence (in peace talks on Syria) will help find a solution, setting precondition for inviting Iran to the talks is not acceptable, and we do not accept any condition," Afkham said.
The final communiqué issued on June 30, 2012, following the meeting of the so-called Action Group for Syria called for an immediate cessation of violence and the establishment of a transitional government that could include officials serving under President Bashar al-Assad and members of the opposition.
Although several officials, including Arab League chief Nabil El- Araby and Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil have said they expect the Geneva 2 conference to convene on November 23, the United States, Russia and the United Nations have all said no date has been officially set.
