TEHRAN (FNA)- The UN reaffirmed its support for Irans presence in the Geneva II Conference in a bid to help put an end to the Syrian crisis.United Nations Spokesman Martin Nesirkysaid that Secretary General Ban-ki Moon and UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy in Syria Lakhdar Brahimi have stressed the necessity and importance of Irans presence in Geneva II meeting.
He underlined that Ban Ki-moon and Brahimi have repeatedly underscored importance of Irans presence in the upcoming meeting of Geneva II, because the UN considers Irans participation in the Geneva meeting useful and constructive in solving the Syrian
Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said Iran would not accept any prerequisite for participating in the upcoming Geneva II talks on Syria.
Afkhams remarks came in reaction to US State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harfs earlier statements that Washington might be better disposed to Irans taking part in a Geneva II conference if Tehran were to embrace the original Geneva communiqu.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to help resolve the Syrian crisis and if our presence is useful for the attainment of a resolution, setting (pre)conditions for inviting Iran is unacceptable and we do not accept any condition, the Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
Afkham further cautioned that excluding Iran from the political process would mean depriving the negotiations of Tehrans constructive role.
The United States said earlier this month that it would be more open to Irans taking part in a long-delayed peace conference on Syria if Iran publicly backed a 2012 statement calling for a transitional government in Syria.
Weve been clear, multiple times, about our expectation that any party that (is) included in Geneva II must accept and publicly support the Geneva communiqu, the US state department spokeswoman said.
If, and this is an if, Iran were to endorse and embrace the Geneva communiqu publicly, we would view the possibility of their participation more openly, Harf said, adding, The United States would then view its taking part more favorably.
Despite Washington's stance, Russia, China, Syria, Ban Ki-moon, Brahimi and an array of other regional and international actors influential on the Syrian crisis settlement issue have all demanded Iran's partaking in the Geneva II conference. In the latest instance of such demands, UN Undersecretary General Jeffrey D. Feltman earlier this month underscored Iran's vital role in the settlement of disputes in the region, and called for Tehran's participation in the International Geneva II Peace Conference on crisis-hit Syria.
It is hard for me to imagine having a solution in Syria that works if Iran isnt somehow engaged and involved in this, Jeffrey Feltman said.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.
Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.
The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.
Tel Aviv, Washington, Ankara and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots to topple President Bashar al-Assad, who is well known in the world for his anti-Israeli stances.
By Fars News Agency
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