U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet on Jan. 13 in a bid to decide on whether Iran should take part in the conference due to be held on Jan. 22, said U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
Earlier, U.S officials in Brussels said Iran could participate in the talks if it helps put an end to the Syrian regime’s bombardment of Aleppo and improve humanitarian access to trapped civilians.
“There are also steps that Iran could take to show the international community that they are serious about being a positive player,” a senior State Department official told reporters travelling with Secretary of State John Kerry.
“Those include calling for an end to the bombardment by the Syrian regime of their own people, it includes calling for encouraging humanitarian access.”
However, one U.S. official said Washington still believed it was “less likely than likely” that Iran would play any role at the Jan. 22 peace conference on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, even on the sidelines.
Another official said Iran and the United States had not discussed the matter directly. All the officials declined to be named.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday reiterated U.S. opposition to Iran being a formal member of the so-called “Geneva 2” talks because it does not support the 2012 international agreement on Syria, dubbed “Geneva 1.”
[With AFP and Reuters]
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/01/06/U-S-officials-urge-Iran-to-help-in-Syria.html
6/1/14
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U.N. sending invitations to Switzerland peace talks on Syria....
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is sending out invitations on Monday to potential participants in Syrian peace talks scheduled to take place in Switzerland this month, the U.N. press office said.
The U.N. statement said the list of invitees was determined at a December 20 meeting between Russia, the United States and the United Nations. The key players in the talks to try to end Syria's civil war are President Bashar al-Assad's government and opposition rebels that have been fighting for nearly three years to oust him.
Earlier on Monday U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said that there had been no agreement on whether to invite Iran though he said Ban supports the idea of Iran's participation and hopes agreement can be reached on that issue. Like Russia, Iran is a staunch supporter of Assad's government.
"It (the conference) aims to bring two broadly representative and credible delegations of the Syrian Government and opposition to a negotiating table in order to end the conflict and launch a political transition," the U.N. statement said.
"The Secretary-General views the conference as a unique opportunity for ending the violence and ensuring that peace can be restored," the statement added. "At the core of this effort is the establishment of a transitional governing body based on mutual consent."
Iran has appeared to rule out participation in Syrian peace talks scheduled to begin in Montreux, Switzerland on January 22, dismissing a U.S. suggestion that it could be involved "from the sidelines" as not respecting its dignity.
Haq said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet on January 13, and voiced the hope they can agree on Iran's participation. He said active support of regional powers in a political solution is critical.
Haq also said the opposition has not yet named members of its delegation for the conference. He said the United Nations urges the Syrian opposition to announce the composition of their "broadly representative" delegation as soon as possible.
Western and Gulf Arab governments oppose the idea of including Iran in the Syria peace conference because it has refused to embrace the idea of creating a transitional government that could replace Assad.
The idea of a political transition for Syria was agreed in principle in June 2012 at a conference in Geneva.
But there has been disagreement over what the outcome of the June 2012 conference meant. Western and Gulf Arab powers want Assad to step aside while Moscow says a decision on who should govern must be made by the Syrians themselves, not by outsiders..................http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/06/us-syria-crisis-un-idUSBREA050V820140106?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
6/1/14
Syrie: l'Iran absent de la première liste des invités à la conférence de paix....
ReplyDeleteBan Ki-moon a envoyé lundi des invitations pour la conférence de paix sur la Syrie qui doit s'ouvrir le 22 janvier en Suisse, a annoncé l'ONU, mais l'Iran ne figure pas sur cette première liste d'invités.
Un porte-parole de l'ONU a précisé que la question de la participation de l'Iran n'était pas encore tranchée et qu'elle serait discutée lors d'une rencontre le 13 janvier entre les chefs de la diplomatie russe et américain Sergueï Lavrov et John Kerry.
Le secrétaire général des Nations unies Ban Ki-moon "souhaite inviter l'Iran", a rappelé le porte-parole. Mais, a-t-il ajouté, les discussions sur cette question "n'ont pas produit de résultat final pour l'instant".
M. Kerry et Lavrov "se rencontreront le 13 janvier et nous espérons fortement qu'il se mettront d'accord sur la participation de l'Iran", selon l'ONU.
Ni le porte-parole de l'ONU, ni le département d'Etat américain n'ont précisé le lieu ou les circonstances de cette rencontre. "Nous savons tous que le soutien actif des puissances régionales est essentiel pour une solution politique" en Syrie, a estimé le porte-parole de l'ONU.
Il appartient à l'ONU de lancer les invitations à la conférence Genève-2, qui doit discuter d'un processus de transition politique en Syrie. Washington est hostile à une participation de l'Iran, qui soutient et arme le régime syrien, alors que l'ONU, la Russie et Damas souhaitent sa présence.
La conférence doit s'ouvrir à Montreux (Suisse) le 22 janvier sous la présidence de Ban Ki-moon et en présence d'une vingtaine de pays et se poursuivre à partir du 24 janvier entre les délégations syriennes sous l'égide du médiateur international Lakhdar Brahimi...........................http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/1060038/syrie-l-iran-absent-de-la-premiere-liste-des-invites-a-la-conference-de-paix
6/1/14
Iran slams US for efforts to sideline Tehran in Syria peace conference ....
ReplyDeleteIran’s Basij Force commander, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, strongly criticized US efforts to marginalize Tehran’s participation in solving the Syrian crisis, saying that any decisions made without Iran at the upcoming Geneva II conference would be “fruitless.”
“Any decision to be taken without the Islamic Republic of Iran’s presence will be futile and fruitless,” said Naqdi on Wednesday according to Iran’s Fars News Agency.
Iranian officials have been pushing back since US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Sunday in Jerusalem the possibility that Tehran could play a role in finding a political solution to the Syrian conflict, even if from the sidelines.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Iran-slams-US-for-efforts-to-sideline-Tehran-in-Syria-peace-conference-337571
9/1/14
Iran's Participation in Syria Talks Uncertain...
ReplyDeleteU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are meeting in Paris to plan for Syrian peace talks later this month, but they have not been able to agree on whether to invite Iran to the talks.
International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said Monday he supports having Iran, Syria's biggest ally, at the talks. He said Iran is "a very important country in the region" and should be present for the negotiations. Syria's government also wants Iran at the talks.
The U.S. has said, through Kerry, that Iran must agree to support the establishment of a transitional government in Syria "by mutual consent," which is unlikely unless Syrian President Bashar al-Assad steps down.
Kerry said the question of Iran's participation is not a question of ideology, but of practicality and common sense.
In Monday's talks, Kerry, Brahimi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed a possible cease-fire, the possibility of prisoner exchanges, and allowing expanded access to humanitarian aid.
Kerry said he hopes the conference, which is scheduled to open January 22, will begin to bring an end to the "unspeakable conflict" that has raged in Syria for nearly three years. He said success would be a "good beginning" to the negotiations between the Syrian government and rebels trying to oust Assad, and not necessarily a final agreement.
Kerry reiterated that it is up to the opposing sides in Syria to come to an agreement and ultimately the Syrian people to decide on the political future of their country.
The stated goal of the so-called Geneva 2 conference is to negotiate a transitional government for Syria.
Assad's government has said it will attend, while the main opposition Syrian National Coalition says it will decide by the end of the week whether it will participate in the talks. Kerry said Sunday he is confident the opposition will attend.
http://www.voanews.com/content/irans-participation-in-syria-talks-uncertain/1828795.html
13/1/14