No Invitation for US to Attend Astana Talks: Iran’s Shamkhani
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said Tehran, Moscow, and Ankara have not sent any invitation to Washington to participate in the upcoming peace talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital.
Iran, Russia and Turkey, as the initiators of the upcoming Syria peace talks in Kazakhstan, have not invited the US to participate at the meeting due to “Iran’s opposition to the US presence”, Shamkhani said on Wednesday.
He added that there is no reason for Washington to have a role in any political process in Syria aimed at putting an end to the ongoing crisis in the Arab country.
“Iran, as a country that has always played a central role in backing the legitimate government of Syria in its anti-terror fight, will have an active and strong presence in political processes (related to the Arab country), the Astana talks in particular,” Shamkhani further said.
In similar remarks on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif voiced the country’s opposition to the participation of Washington in the talks, saying, “We have not invited the US and are against their presence”.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
Diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria have gained momentum in recent weeks with the announcement of a ceasefire in the Arab country earlier this month.
The truce, which has been negotiated between Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Damascus government and the Syrian opposition, excludes terrorist groups such as Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.
It will be followed by a new round of peace talks between the Syrian government and foreign-sponsored opposition groups in Astana on January 23.
