Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stressed Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s influential role in settling the Syria unrest, underlining the need for the inclusion of Iran in an upcoming international conference on Syria.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cIf we admit that Iran has a very solid influence on what is going on, then it is obliged to be represented in the negotiations as a participant in the \u00cb\u0153external ring\u00e2\u201e\u00a2 [of Syria’s neighboring states],\u201d Lavrov said on Sunday.\n<\/p>\n
At a joint press conference in Moscow on May 7, the Russian foreign minister and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to encourage the Syrian government and the foreign-backed militants to find a political solution to the crisis.\n<\/p>\n
Moscow and Washington also agreed to hold an \u00c5\u201cinternational peace conference\u201d on Syria in Geneva, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting in June 2012.\n<\/p>\n
The Russian foreign minister stated that the duration of the forthcoming conference should not be limited.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cSome of our partners\u2026think a few days or weeks are long enough. I consider this is counterproductive,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Syria unrest erupted over two years ago and many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence. <\/p>\n
Several international human rights organizations say the foreign-backed militants have committed war crimes in Syria.\n<\/p>\n
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