Iran’s participation at the upcoming peace conference on Syria is a must because of Tehran’s contribution to restoration of stability to the war-plagued country, an analyst says.
“Iran is Syria’s closest ally in the Middle East and has a regional stature that can bring crucial, positive influence to expedite the successful outcome of negotiations,” Finian Cunningham wrote in a column for the Press TV website.
“So, it is illogical and indeed risible that Washington and its Saudi clients are demanding that Iran be excluded from the talks,” he added.
Cunningham was reacting to exclusion of Iran from a Syria peace conference scheduled to be held in the Swiss city of Montreux on January 22, 2014.

On December 20, UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi said Iran’s presence in the Syria meeting, known as Geneva-II, had not been decided upon yet due to US opposition.
“Washington and Saudi Arabia do not want Iran to attend Geneva II because these adversaries know that Iran would help bolster the political case for Syrian independence and self-determination, which would inevitably underpin the democratic mandate of the incumbent [Bashar] Assad government,” wrote Cunningham.
He said Washington and Riyadh are supporting “terror squads” in Syria, adding that these two countries “have no interest in working towards a genuine peaceful solution in Syria.”

Cunningham noted that “no Syrian peace process or settlement” could be envisaged “without Iran’s participation.”

Syria has been gripped by a deadly crisis since 2011. Reports indicate that the Western powers and their regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants operating inside the country. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the violence.

By Press TV

 

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