Russia insists that Iran take part in Syria conference
MOSCOW. June 7 (Interfax) - Iran's participation in a Moscow-proposed conference on the domestic conflict in Syria would be crucial, the Russian Foreign Ministry's chief spokesman argued on Thursday.
"I propose taking one more look at the set of principles that is being proposed by Russia. Iran is a very important element of any settlement efforts in the region. Therefore, it is our lasting impression that that country can't be shut out - nor can, for that matter, a whole number of other countries in the region," Alexander Lukashevich said at a briefing in Moscow in answering a question from Interfax.
"The idea that has been put forward by the minister [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov] and that we are actively discussing with our partners will, we hope, be considered tday during consultations in the [UN] Security Council and at the session of the [UN] General Assembly with the participation of [[N and Arab League] Special Envoy Kofi Annan and the secretary general. Let's wait for the results of all these discussions," Lukashevich said.