UN secretary-general will select countries invited to Geneva II without pressure from Russia. U.S. - Lavrov
MOSCOW. Jan 16 (Interfax) - Russia and the U.S. will not put pressure on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the issue of invitations to take part in the conference on Syria Geneva II, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"Russia and the U.S. as initiators of Geneva II have agreed that invitations are sent by the UN secretary-general. No one should put any pressure on him, be it Russia, the U.S., or someone else," Lavrov told a press conference following a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif.
"The [UN] secretary-general is a responsible politician. We trust him as a person who understands the real situation in the region and should be aware of the responsibility for the success of the Geneva II. And the success of the Geneva II can be ensured by everyone's good will, which envisions the need for all parties to be represented," he said.
"Everyone who is invited to Geneva II should state their support of the task of the full fulfillment of the Geneva communique of June 30," Lavrov said. "I don't know why Iran is being asked to state such special support. As Mr Zarif said, Iran has more than once spoken about the positive results of Geneva II," he said.
The text of the invitation to Geneva II speaks about the task of the conference, which is full fulfillment of the Geneva communique, Lavrov said. "In other words, sending invitations and their acceptance answer the questions that Iran is now being asked," he said.
