Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Iran should be part of the international effort to resolve the situation in Syria.
“Russia believes that all countries that have influence on any of the involved parties in Syria should participate in the international talks [addressing] the Syrian issue, and Iran is one of those countries,” Lavorv said, according to the Russian news agency Ria Novosti.
The United States has already expressed its opposition to Iran’s involvement in the international effort to resolve the Syrian crisis. The United States claims that Iran is involved in the events unfolding in Syria and it has accused Iran of being part of the problem and not the solution.
Syrian opposition forces also accuse Iran of supporting the Syrian government’s crackdown on protesters, but Iran adamantly denies the charges.
Lavrov went on to admit that the Syrian situation is critical but added that Moscow will oppose any plans for foreign military intervention in Syria, even if it’s arranged through the United Nations.
He added that Russia supports Kofi Annan’s peace plan, saying there can be no other option in this regard.
Former UN head Kofi Annan has been trying to implement a peace plan in Syria over the past two months, but his efforts have not proven successful, and both sides have failed to respect the ceasefire or halt the violence.
