Lavrov: Iran exclusion from Geneva 2 A Mistake, Pushed by those who want Al-Assad out

Local Editor

Russian Foreign Minister warned that the UN Secretary General's decision to revoke his invitation to Iran to take part in the upcoming Syria peace conference was ‘a mistake' but not ‘a catastrophe'.

Ban Ki-moon revoked the invitation on Sunday a day after sending it. Lavrov said he believed the reasoning behind Ban's decision is erroneous. He pointed out that the demand that Iran committed to the communiqué was actually a demand to commit to a false interpretation, which claims that the document provides for a regime change in Syria. The actual document contains no such provision, the Russian minister said.
"It's like they are turning things upside down. We too insist that the Geneva communiqué was not subject to any interpretations, including those implying regime change. Do we not satisfy the demands of those who insisted on revoking Iran's invitation? Do they not invite us now? That is absurd," Lavrov said.

Lavrov reminded that the so-called "Syrian National Coalition", the political opposition body, which threatened to boycott the conference, is not acting in line with the Geneva communiqué, and neither are its foreign sponsors.

"Many nations encouraged the SNC to voice one condition after another, including, first and foremost, the demand for regime change. Numerous statements from the so-called ‘Friends of Syria', which is the patron of the coalition, said directly that regime change is the goal of all their efforts," he said.

And if Russia chose to be overly protective of the principles of the communiqué, it would have the grounds to insist on banning from the conference those countries that openly called for regime change in Syria, Lavrov said. But it didn't, and so people seeking the ousting of Syrian President Bashar Assad are plentiful among the participants.

The situation "looks ugly", the minister observed, but it only affects the one-day ceremonial event on Wednesday, which has more symbolical than practical meaning. So the revocation of the invitation is not a catastrophe.
"I only regret that this story made the United Nation's reputation any better," Lavrov said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team