Iran will host on Wednesday an international forum to help find a
"political solution" for the conflict in ally Syria, the foreign
ministry said, as France, the U.S. and Russia push for their own peace
conference.
"More than 40 countries and a representative of former U.N.
Secretary General Kofi Annan are expected to attend," deputy foreign
minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, on Monday told Al-Alam
Arabic-language television.
Anan is a former U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, where
activists say more than 94,000 people have been killed since the
uprising to topple the regime of President Bashar al-Assad erupted in
March 2011.
Amir Abdollahian did not identify the countries expected to
attend the Iran conference which is billed as a meeting to focus on
"political solution and regional stability."
"What we will do in Tehran and what will come out of Geneva 2
must ensure that the conditions are met for the Syrians to decide the
fate of their country," he added.
The aim of the Tehran conference "is to pave the way for an
end to the violence and help organize elections under international
supervision."
Iran's announcement comes as France is to host on Monday
evening a three-way meeting to discuss preparations for the so-called
Geneva 2 peace conference which Russia and the United States hope to
convene in June.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will hold talks in
Paris with his U.S. and Russian counterparts, John Kerry and Sergei
Lavrov, whose country is the main ally of the Syrian regime.
France rejects Iran's participation in Geneva 2, while Russia
would like Iranian officials to attend alongside Saudi Arabia,
considering both countries key players to help find a political solution
to the Syrian conflict.
Tehran had already hosted a meeting between Syrian government
officials and representatives of opposition parties tolerated by Assad's
regime in mid-November 2012.
It was attended by some 200 delegates who represented the
government and various ethnic and religious political groups, according
to Iranian media.