Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 26
By Rahim Zamanov - Trend:
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Tehran will take part in the Geneva-2 conference on Syrian crisis if invited.
"If invited, Tehran will take part in the event without any preconditions," the Fars News Agency quoted Zarif as saying.
Zarif, however, said that whether invited or not, Iran will continue to support a political solution for the crisis in Syria. Iranian foreign minister once again stressed that the Syrian crisis can only be solved through political means.
"Those who insist on the use of military force are doing so at a very high cost for the Syrian people," he said.
The Iranian top diplomat further called for joint efforts to address the terrible humanitarian situation in Syria and its neighbouring countries.
According to Zarif, Iran's participation in the Geneva-2 conference would greatly contribute to the resolution of the conflict.
On Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the conference on Syria will be held in Geneva on January 22. It remains unclear whether Tehran will participate in the conference or not. UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, said that the exact participants of the conference are still being discussed, and Iran and Saudi Arabia are among the possible participants.
The armed conflict between the government and the opposition in Syria has been continuing from March 2011. According to the UN about 100,000 people were killed in the country during the conflict. Syrian authorities say they are opposed by well-armed militants, who are supported from the outside.