By IANS,
Washington: Iran would have to commit itself to the Geneva Communique in order to participate in the upcoming peace conference on Syrian crisis in January, Xinhua quoted the White House as saying Monday.
Iran, a main regional ally of the Syrian government, has said it is ready to play a “constructive” role in the Geneva II conference if it is invited. The meeting, scheduled Jan 22, is aimed at ending Syrian conflict of about three years.
The purpose of the Geneva II meeting is to move forward on the principles laid out in the Geneva Communique, White House spokesperson Jay Carney said at a press briefing.
“Obviously you cannot participate constructively if you do not buy into those principles and publicly say so,” he added.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon began sending out invitations to the Geneva II meeting Monday. Iran is not among the first round of nations on the list, which was approved by the representatives of US and of Russia with UN officials at a meeting held Dec 20.
According to Marie Harf, spokesperson for the State Department, US Secretary of State John Kerry will discuss with Russian officials in a bid to decide Iran’s role in the conference.
Even if Iran is to attend the conference at a lower level, it would need to demonstrate “an interest and a willingness” to play a constructive role in the process, Harf said Monday.