Reuters - The trilateral meeting between Iran, Russia and Turkey in the Russian resort of Sochi this week was �a right step, at the right time� for stability in Syria, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad.
Russia�s Vladimir Putin won the backing of Turkey and Iran on Wednesday to host a Syrian peace congress, taking the central role in a major diplomatic push to finally end a civil war all but won by Assad.


�Sochi summit � was a right step at the right time,� Rouhani was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA on Saturday in a phone call with Tehran�s main regional ally.


He said a national congress to hold face-to-face talks between government and opposition could be �a step towards stability and security of Syria.�


Iran has signed large economic contracts with Syria, reaping what appear to be lucrative rewards for helping Assad in his fight against rebel groups and Islamic State militants.

�Tehran is ready to have an active role in reconstruction of Syria,� Rouhani added.


The chief commander of Iran�s Revolutionary Guards, who has sent weapons and thousands of soldiers to Syria to prop up Assad�s regime, also said on Thursday that their forces were ready to help rebuild Syria and bring about a lasting �ceasefire� there.


Syria�s six-year civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions to flee in the worst refugee crisis since World War Two.


In a joint statement in Sochi, the three leaders called on the Syrian government and moderate opposition to �participate constructively� in the planned congress, to be held in the same city on a date they did not specify.

SAUDI OPPOSITION
Saudi Arabia, Iran�s arch rival in the Middle East, also sponsored a meeting on Wednesday at a luxury hotel in Riyadh for the Syrian opposition groups.


Regional tensions have risen in recent weeks between Sunni Muslim monarchy Saudi Arabia and Shi�ite Iran.


Saudi Crown Prince called the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei �the new Hitler of the Middle East� in an interview with the New York Times published on Thursday.




Israel also views Iran as the main threat in the region, and a cabinet minister said this month Israel has had covert contacts with Saudi Arabia.


�It is very odd that a regional country considers Iranian nation as its enemy and the Zionist regime as its friend,� Rouhani told Assad in the call.

The next round of U.N.-backed peace talks in Geneva aimed at ending the Syrian civil war will begin on Nov. 28.

Editing by Clelia Oziel