Basij Commander: Decisions in Geneva II Fruitless without Iran’s Presence

TEHRAN – Commander of Iran’s Basij (volunteer) Force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi blasted the US attempts to marginalize Tehran in efforts to settle the crisis in Syria, and said decisions to be taken in the upcoming Geneva II conference without Iran will be fruitless, according to FNA.

 “It (inviting Iran to the upcoming Geneva II conference) was an opportunity that the westerners lost,” Naqdi told reporters in Tehran on Wednesday.

 “Any decision to be taken without the Islamic Republic of Iran’s presence will be futile and fruitless,” he added.

Senior Iranian officials reiterated that Iran’s presence in the long-awaited International Geneva II Peace Conference on Syria will be necessary, but Tehran would not accept any precondition in this regard.

 “The presence of Iran (in the Geneva II conference) can make a big contribution to …a political and peaceful Syria solution,” Director-General of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Office for Middle-East and North Africa Reza Ameri said on Monday.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is among effective countries that has always been a part of the solution to the crisis in Syria,” he added.

The Iranian official noted that the Geneva II conference can begin a political process to resolve the crisis in Syria.

Ameri emphasized that the Geneva II conference can result in appropriate outcomes if all effective sides involved in the crisis in Syria are permitted to express their positive views.

M.D