Iranian, Russian presidents discuss Syria over phone

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian Counterpart Vladimir Putin, in a telephone conversation, discussed the upcoming Geneva II conference slated for later this month. During the phone call on Thursday, the Iranian and Russian presidents underlined the need for resolving the ongoing crisis in Syria in the upcoming conference in Switzerland, a statement by Kremlin said without giving any further details. The phone call between President Rouhani and President Putin took place as Geneva II conference is scheduled to open in the Swiss city of Montreux on January 22. On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif once again renewed Iran’s support for a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis, but underlined that Tehran will not accept any precondition for its participation in the upcoming Geneva II Conference on Syria. “We once again reiterate that Iran will not accept any precondition for taking part in the Geneva II conference and if Iran is officially invited we will be ready to help resolve the (Syrian) crisis,” Zarif said in a meeting with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad in Tehran. The Syrian deputy foreign minister, for his part, conveyed the warm greetings of Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem to Zarif, and underlined the importance of Iran-Syria relations in line with regional peace, stability and security. Al-Miqdad arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to confer with senior Iranian officials on the latest developments in his country, including the upcoming Geneva II conference to be held on January 22. Al-Miqdad, whose country has always underlined the necessity for Iran's participation in the Geneva II talks, is also in Tehran to be informed of the latest stances of the Islamic Republic over the international gathering, particularly after US Secretary of State John Kerry's Sunday comments on sidelining Iran's participation in the Geneva II conference. In response to Kerry's statements, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham on Tuesday urged the US secretary of state to see the region's realities, including Iran's undeniably influential and positive role in the settlement of regional disputes. "Iran has repeatedly announced since the very beginning of the ongoing crisis in Syria that the problem should be solved through diplomatic solutions. Any solution to the crisis should guarantee the Syrian people's right to determine their own destiny based on Syrian-Syrian talks," said the spokeswoman. Criticizing Kerry's proposal for Iran's sidelined participation in the Geneva II conference, Afkham said Tehran would only accept the proposals which are in line with its dignity. On Sunday, Kerry suggested that Iran could play a sideline role in the Syrian peace talks. He said that it would be difficult to see how Iran could be a ministerial partner in the Geneva II talks. However, he said that Tehran could play a helpful role in finding a solution to the conflict in Syria. Kerry suggested that Iran’s diplomatic office in Geneva might be able to help as an unofficial participant. Iran has always underlined a negotiated end to the crisis in Syria, reiterating that a halt in the arms flow to anti-government militants is the prerequisite to any diplomatic solution to the Syrian problem. In November 2012, Iran hosted a meeting between the representatives of the Syrian government and opposition to encourage them to start talks to find a political solution to their problems. The National Dialogue Conference kicked off work in Tehran mid November with the motto of 'No to Violence, Yes to Democracy". The meeting brought together almost 200 representatives of various Syrian ethnicities, political groups, minorities, the opposition, and state officials. The conflict in Syria started in March 2011, when sporadic pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of western and regional states. The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle-East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history. As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government has boosted its political and military support to Takfiri extremists. Washington has remained indifferent to warnings by Russia and other world powers about the consequences of arming militant groups.