Iran Invited to Next Round of Syria Talks

Iran will be invited to join a multinational conference on Syria, State Department confirmed today. The talks will draw together the U.S., Russia and several European and Middle Eastern countries. The final list of attendees has not been announced yet.

U.S., Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia participated in the first round of talks last Friday. The next round, featuring Iran and other Arab and European countries, will be held on Friday in Vienna.

File photo: Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the first round of Syria talks; Vienna, 23 October 2015 (Reuters)

Russia Insists on Iranian Presence at Syria Peace Conference

Russia has said that it is imperative for Iran to join a peace conference on Syria proposed by The U.S. and Russia.

“The issue of Iran (participation) is key for us,” said Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, while on a visit to Paris on Tuesday.

France has opposed Iran’s participation. Russia has argued that both Iran and Saudi Arabia should take part in the negotiations as part of a new push for peace agreed by Moscow and Washington.

On Monday, Lavrov said that he and US Secretary of State John Kerry had agreed in Paris that more “clarity” was needed about who could take part in the proposed negotiations before a date for them could be set.

“We must get clarity about the participants," said Lavrov. "And this concerns not only the Syrians that will represent the various levels of society, but also the foreign players.” (AFP, 29 May)

The conference will be held in Geneva. Although there is still no firm agreement on the date, but it could happen on 15-16 June.

Photo credit: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Paris on 27 May (AFP/Pool/Jim Young)